The Night That Changed All Others
by Nytel
Summary: Teyla and John spend one night together, and they could never have imagined the series of events that would unfold because of it. These events would change the lives and the future of everyone in Atlantis.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first ever Stargate Atlantis fic, and I hope that it doesn't disappoint you. The idea for the story came to me a few days ago at work, and I just had to write it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its components.**

**Spoiler Warning: This fic may contain spoilers from any or all of the Atlantis episodes, seasons 1 and 2. Hopefully there will not be any specific references to past episodes, but I'm not making any guarantees.**

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard twisted the cap off of his beer. He lifted it to his lips and downed as much as he could in the first gulp. The flow of the cold liquid had the desired refreshing effect. _Ah, perfect._ The night couldn't get any better. He had just finished his patrol around the occupied sections of Atlantis and could now fully enjoy the celebration. It was a celebration that everyone here at Atlantis thoroughly deserved.

Late last night, or very early this morning; Colonel Sheppard had lead one of three task force teams in an attempt to wipe out the wraith that remained in the Pegasus Galaxy. Needless to say, the attempt had been successful. This was not the first attack that they had made on the wraith either. They had made many, but this would be the last. Each of the teams had wiped out a hive ship in the latest attack, leaving only four left in the entire galaxy. The scanners showed that these last few ships had left the Pegasus galaxy, hopefully to never return again.

It had been many months; maybe even close to a year since the Atlantis expedition had begun to eliminate the wraith threat in the galaxy. After the initial attack on Atlantis, they had waited for the wraith to return to their state of hibernation. By strategically planning every move, they had been able to accomplish their goal of defeating the wraith, and now it was time to celebrate that accomplishment. Dr. Weir had even taken the liberty to send out a team to trade with one of the other worlds for their lovely refreshments. The beer may not taste exactly like the stuff from Earth, but it was close, and sure as hell better than nothing.

They were using a large room that they had discovered a while ago to host the party. The room must have been used for holding functions, because it was huge, and John could think of no other use for it. Taking another swig from the bottle, Colonel Sheppard began to wander among the crowd of people that had gathered for the party, promising himself that tonight he would thoroughly enjoy himself.

* * *

A few hours later the Colonel was opening what he thought to be his fourth beer, but he wasn't sure. Maybe it was his sixth or seventh, or maybe this stuff was just more potent than the beer on Earth. Either way he had begun to feel the effects of the alcohol. John paused, the beer halfway to his mouth, and debated whether or not he should call it quits for the night. Then he remembered how hard he had worked these past few months, and pushing his previous thought aside, raised the beer the rest of the way to his mouth._ What a reward._

Finishing off his drink, John set down the empty bottle on a nearby table, adding to the growing collection. Thinking he heard his name, John turned quickly to see who was calling him. Unfortunately the rapid movement sent his head spinning. _This stuff must have more alcohol in it than the beer I'm used to. Maybe some fresh air will clear up my head a bit._

With that, John made his way over to the balcony doors and stepped outside into the cool night air. The gentle breeze on his face was just what he needed. He walked up to the railing and leaned on it, looking out at the point where ocean met the clear night sky. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, John saw a shadow approaching him. He whipped around to see who it was.

"I am sorry Colonel Sheppard, I did not mean to startle you." Teyla spoke as she stepped out of the shadows and into the light that was being cast through the open doorway.

"That's alright Teyla, I just didn't…" John stopped as soon as he noticed how amazing Teyla looked. He had not seen her yet tonight and she looked astonishing. Her clothes were not new; in fact he had seen her wearing them many times before this. But it was the little things that he was noticing, and how the all came together to create the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Her wind tousled hair, the rosy glow of her face that told him she too had been drinking, and most importantly her lips. He had always loved her lips. They were so rich and kissable. Oh what he wouldn't give to…

"Colonel Sheppard, are you alright?" Teyla asked, a look of worry creasing her features.

"Fine Teyla. I'm fine." John replied, turning to stare out at the ocean once more. It was, after all, a much safer thing to stare at. If he even began to look at the woman standing beside him, his thoughts quickly turned from seeing her as a good friend and colleague, to seeing her as something else, something more. And given the state he found himself in, he was not sure he would be able to control himself if need be.

But before he could dwell on it any longer, his silent reverie was interrupted by the very source of his thoughts. "This celebration is truly wonderful. I am pleased to see that Dr. Weir recognizes the significance of this event. It is truly a cause for celebration and it is a much needed break for both our peoples." She of course was referring to the Athosians who had flown into the city for the celebration.

"Yes, yes it is." John felt inclined to voice his agreement, but his voice was lacking enthusiasm.

"Yet you do not seem happy Colonel, why?"

"Please Teyla, call me John." _Why on earth did I just say that? The last thing that I need right now is to hear my name being said by those wonderful lips. Am I trying to test the very little restraint I currently possess?_

"Alright. _John_, why are you not happy with the celebration?" Teyla asked using his first name.

Not wanting to be rude, John turned to face her as he answered. Big mistake. There it was, temptation looking him straight in the face. He knew in the back of his mind that the alcohol he had consumed was amplifying the desire he already possessed. He was so close, it would be so easy to just…

"Colonel, are you sure you are alright?"

"What?" John asked as he was shaken from his thoughts. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. And please Teyla, call me John." _Stupid, you did it again. It would make it so much easier to hold back if she wasn't calling you John._ Afraid that he would seem impolite if he did not answer her question he replied, "It's not he party that I'm not happy with. The party's great."

Once again the look of concern passed over Teyla's face. "Is there something the matter John? Is there anything I can do to help?"

A million responses ran through his mind. Many were responses that he would like to say, but there were none that he should say. He sighed. This whole restraint thing was getting increasingly difficult by the minute. Running his hand through his hair, John once again turned to gaze out upon the ocean. If only Teyla were not on his team. _No, I want her on my team; she's an amazing asset. I can't lose her from the team, and that's exactly what would happen if we ever became anything more than friends. And I can't afford to lose her as my friend either. She's the best friend that I have. Why is this so complicated?_

John leaned forward resting his head in his hands. Even though he had tried to prevent it, all of his thoughts were centered on Teyla. Thoughts on how much he would love to start a relationship with her, even to kiss her just once. They were all thoughts of things that he couldn't, no, shouldn't do. He could do anything he wanted; he just had to be willing to accept the consequences that came hand in hand with his actions. Yet, as the night wore on, he found himself caring less and less about those consequences.

"I am sorry if I have upset you Colonel, I will take my leave now. I hope that whatever is bothering you becomes resolved. Goodnight." Teyla then made a hasty retreat into the celebration room.

The alcohol had slowed John's reactions and by the time he decided to follow Teyla she had already disappeared into the crowd. Determined on finding her, John wove in and around various sized groups of people searching for Teyla. Within a few moments he spotted her at the main entrance of the room and pushed his way through to the door as well. He may be angry about the situation he had found himself in with Teyla, but he wasn't angry with her. He needed to apologize before he alienated her. Their work may prevent them from becoming any closer, but John was unwilling to let it cause them to drift apart.

By the time John made it to the door, Teyla was no longer in sight. John's first thought was that she would he heading to her living quarters, and hoping he was right he hopped into the closest transporter and touched the map at a spot not far from there. Upon exiting the room, John saw no sign of Teyla and quickened his pace. Rounding the corner he saw the door to her room but still no Teyla.

Once he reached the door he knocked twice in quick succession, hoping that she would answer. There was no response. _Ah great. This is the last thing that I need right now, Teyla mad at me._

"Teyla," John said. "I'm really sorry Teyla, will you please come out so that I can apologize?" Once again there was no response. "Teyla, please." _Great, now I'm begging._

"Tey…" John began, but was interrupted by a voice behind him.

"Colonel Sheppard, what are you doing here?"

For the third time that night, John whipped around suddenly. Sure enough there was Teyla.John was able to quickly compose himself. "Teyla, I came to apologize." At her look he continued. "Outside there, on the balcony I was being really rude. And I'm sorry."

"You need not explain yourself to me Colonel. It is I who am sorry for being so intrusive. Now, if you do not mind, I would like to get into my room." Teyla tried to step around John to get into her room, but he blocked her. "Colonel, I would much appreciate it if you would let me pass." Teyla said, her voice growing stern.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me John?" _Well, the damage was already done._

"Fine then. _John,_ I would much appreciate it if you would let me pass." Her voice was now more stern than before.

"Teyla, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I …"

"That is all very well _John_, but I would much appreciate it if you would let me pass."

"Stop it Teyla, you're beginning to sound like a broken record."

"A broken what?" Teyla asked a look of confusion dawning on her face. But before he could reply, "Never mind. John, would you please let me pass?"

There was something in the way she asked, but John stepped aside to allow Teyla to get by. She sounded defeated almost, as if being mad at him was too hard to accomplish for long. But just as Teyla was stepping past, John did something that would change both of their lives forever. He grabbed Teyla by the arm, turned her around, and kissed her.

He did not know how he was expecting her to react, but this definitely wasn't it. Teyla neither pulled away nor tried to cause him any physical harm. Instead, she wrapped her free arm around his neck, and followed it with the other arm once he released it. And she didn't stop there. She began to deepen the kiss, and John didn't stop her. His resolve had failed him, but this only made him happier. Maybe what he thought was so far out of his reach, wasn't really. _Maybe all this time, Teyla has been having similar thoughts about me. Maybe…_

His and Teyla's collision with the door to her room had interrupted John's train of thought. Reluctantly John pulled away from Teyla. Looking in her eyes he saw a reflection of his current feelings,but now was the time to stop this, before it got out of hand.

But before he could utter a word Teyla spoke. "Come in?" It was somewhere between a question and a demand.

"Teyla, I…" John began to put a halt to what was happening, but it seemed that Teyla had other plans.

"John, please." There it was, his name being said by those magnificent lips. How could he hope to resist an invitation like that? The answer is, he couldn't.

**A/N: There it is, the prologue! I hope that you all enjoyed. I should be updating within the next few days, so please come to check out chapter 1 once I get it posted. I know that you hear this a lot, but please review. Any comments or helpful hints are much appreciated. :)**


	2. Chapter 1: Reminiscing

**A/N: All right, here's chapter 1! I realize that this chapter is not extremely exciting, but it contains lots of key information for the story. You may also notice that it is almost double the length of the prologue, but I just started writing and couldn't stop. :) I hope that you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its components.**

Chapter 1 – Reminiscing

**Five years later**: 

Teyla Emmagan stirred in her sleep. There was no apparent cause for her restlessness, yet the uneasiness with which she slept would have been obvious to any observer. It would have also been easy to tell that Teyla was dreaming. And by the way she was tossing and turning, it was apparent that the dream was not a pleasant one.

All of a sudden, in one rapid movement, Teyla sat up in her bed, dislodging the blanket that had been covering her. _It was only a dream._ Careful not to disturb the other occupants of the room, Teyla untangled her legs from the blanket on her bed. She then made her way across the room to the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. She was able to slip into the other room without awakening the two others that were asleep.

Teyla quickly busied herself making a hot cup of tea. She hoped that it would calm her enough so she would be able to get back to sleep. She had had that dream many times before, and it always left her mind in turmoil. Unlike most dreams, she had experienced this one in real life. So every time that she dreamt it, she was reliving something out of her past. _A past that I have long since given uptrying to forget._

Teyla sat down at the small wooden table in the center of the room with her mug of tea in hand. She gently blew on it, so that it would cool down enough to drink. After taking a small sip and deeming it still too hot to drink, Teyla sat back in her chair. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, and it brought back the images from her dream. Well, her past experience, more specifically. Even five years later she was able to remember every detail and replay the entire scene in her head.

_Teyla was lying on her side and the sun was shining through the window into her face. This was making it difficult to sleep so she turned over, hoping to avoid the annoyance of the sun. When she rolled over she hit something solid. Abruptly she opened her eyes. When she saw who it was in her bed, the events of the night before all came back to her in a rush._

_She remembered all of what had happened. She had been standing outside on the balcony, contemplating her relationship with John and all of a sudden he had shown up. They had talked, for a very short time, and then Teyla had gone back to her room. John had made it to her room before her, she assumed he had used the transporter, and was waiting to apologize to her. She ended up apologizing to him, and then tried to get into her room. Tried was the key word, because John had been blocking her way._

_She remembered how she wished he would do something about the obvious sexual tension between them. She knew that he must have been feeling it too, and she wasn't just referring to that night. For many months before the celebration Teyla had been aware of the tension between herself and John. She would often find herself thinking about him, especially when her mind was otherwise unoccupied. For a long time she had wondered if anything would change between them when the wraith were eliminated. She would no longer have to be on John's team, and if she were not, maybe a relationship between them would be possible. She had often seen him sneaking glances at her, when he thought she wasn't looking. Teyla was almost one hundred percent certain that he felt the same way for her, as she did for him._

_Her thoughts had been confirmed when he had turned her around and kissed her the night before. Teyla had a feeling that without the alcohol John would not have made such a daring move, but she was glad it had spurred him into action. Even with the alcohol he had been about to stop things, that is until she persuaded him not to. There would be some definite consequences for what had occurred last night, but Teyla was willing to face them._

_Teyla propped herself up on one elbow and gazed down upon John's face. He looked so peaceful lying there. This was the man that she cared for very much. He was a strong leader and fighter, but yet his work had not toughened him to the point of being cold and insensitive. Also, John had always been kind to her and stuck up for her when others had doubted her loyalty. He was a true friend, and now, hopefully more than that._

_Maybe he had felt her gaze upon him, or maybe he was just waking up on his own accord, but his eyes opened slowly. He must of caught sight of Teyla out of the corner of his eye because he quickly turned to face her. His eyes widened in shock and his mouth began to open and close, but no sound was coming out._

_Teyla was taken aback. Out of all the ways she pictured him responding to finding himself in her bed, this was most certainly not one of them. He did not look happy as she thought he would. On the contrary, he seemed upset._

_Teyla was about to say something, but apparently John had found his voice. "Teyla, what…what happened last night?"_

"_Do you not remember?" she asked, suddenly afraid that he had drunk so much that he had forgotten all of the events of the night before._

"_No, I remember," was his reply. He hastily got out of her bed, and after finding his clothes put them on. Teyla was bewildered by his behavior. She too began to get dressed sensing that something was wrong._

_After zipping up his jacket, John turned to face Teyla who was now fully clothed as well. "Teyla, what happened last night…well, it as a mistake." John had started speaking with hesitation, but as he continued he grew surer of what he was doing. "Teyla, you and I both know that what happened last night was a direct result of the alcohol. Neither of us was thinking straight." He then paused for a moment before continuing. "It shouldn't have happened."_

_Teyla was shocked. Surely she hadn't misread all of the signals he'd been sending her for the past few months. Surely she hadn't wanted this so badly that she had been imagining the tension between them. Surely all ofher feelings had been unreciprocated._

_John speaking again interrupted her thoughts. "Teyla we can **never** mention this again, under **no** circumstances. Not to anyone, not even between us. We have to pretend like this **never** happened. Do you understand?"_

_Teyla did not respond. She could only stare at John. This could not be the same man that she knew, or rather thought she knew. Had the alcohol affected him so much that he had done something he would regret? Or worse was the possibility that Johnhad hadfeelings for her, but she had somehow disappointed him._

_Seeing that Teyla was not answering his question he asked it again, but this time in a much more severe tone. "Teyla, do you understand?"_

_Teyla felt her throat tightening, and the burning sensation at the corners of her eyes that told her that tears were on their way. If this was what he truly wanted…Teyla nodded, indicated that she understood all of which he had said. She then heard him sigh, in what was apparently relief. Not waiting any longer John left Teyla's room._

_Still numb from shock, Teyla sat down on the bed. She had always been reluctant to become this involved with anyone; for fear that she would lose that person, and for fear that they may break her heart. She had taken a chance with John. She had allowed her feelings for him to develop past friendship. Then, when she had acted on those feelings, one of her greatest fears had come true. Her heart had been broken._

_As Teyla lay down on the bed a tear made it's way down her cheek. She wiped it away, but it was pointless. Too many more had followed._

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard stepped through the stargate, into the Lost City of Atlantis. Well, it wasn't really lost anymore, but it had been at one time. Three other men had followed him through the gate, Dr. McKay, Lieutenant Ford, and Ronan Dex. They were the other members of his team.

Glancing up at the control room, John saw Dr. Weir looking down at him and the rest of his team. He gave her a slight nod, indicating that the mission, if you could call it that, had gone well.

"Alright gentleman, we will meet tomorrow at nine to debrief. And since you've all been working so hard lately, you can take the rest of the day off." Elizabeth told them. There were various responses to her statement. Rodney was muttering something about _finally_ having a chance to finish running his simulations to see whether or not it was possible to recharge a ZPM. Aiden was trying to convince Ronan to go swimming with him in the pool that had been discovered only a few weeks ago. John on the other hand just sighed and began making his way to his room.

Once he got there, he quickly tossed off his vest. Not bothering to actually put it away, he let it drop to the floor. He sat down on the bed and unlaced his boots. After kicking them off, he lay down. Although the mission that they had gone on was rather easy, John was still exhausted. There were some nights that he had trouble sleeping, and the night before had been one of them. He had lain awake for hours before he finally drifted off into a rather restless sleep.

John closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. Letting his hands fall back to his sides, he rolled over trying to find a more comfortable position. Still not satisfied he flipped onto his other side before returning back to his original position, flat on his back. He had been hoping to catch a little nap before dinner. _Well, it doesn't look like that's going to happen now._

John was actually not that surprised about the situation he found himself in. It had happened many times in the past when they returned from visiting a new planet. Every time he stepped through the gate, John was hoping to find Teyla on the other side. And his hope had always increased ten fold when they were going to a new planet. He had always thought that there was a better chance that Teyla would be on a planet that they had not yet visited. Every time they didn't find Teyla on a new planet, well…it agitated him. Maybe agitated wasn't the right word, it worried him. He was worried that maybe something had happened to her when she had left Atlantis. After so long, they had come to the point where they had visited almost every inhabited planet in the Pegasus Galaxy. This worried John too. If they hadn't found her by now, they would probably never would.

There was no way that Teyla had left the galaxy, so either she was on a planet they had yet to visit, or something had happened to her. John refused to think of the possibility that she died. _You'd think that after five years, I'd have given up hope on ever finding her._ Well that wasn't the case, even though it had been so long since Teyla left. John was still determined on finding her, or finding out what had happened to her. All that he knew was that she had left Atlantis through the stargate so many years ago.

He remembered that she had left about six weeks after the celebration had occurred. The six weeks between the time of the celebration and Teyla's departure had been tense to say the least. Teyla had not left his team as he feared might happen, but that did not mean that things were the same as they always were.

Every time that Teyla had spoke to John she addressed him as Colonel Sheppard. Whenever he asked her something she would reply using a few words as possible. The tension between them had changed from sexual tension to hostile tension. Teyla had also avoided John for the month and a half following the night of the celebration. The only times he had seen her was when they went off world together. John had been upset by her behavior so much he was tempted to try and talk to her about it, but he knew that he couldn't. He had made it quite clear that they must forget about everything that had happened that night, and he didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

So for the six weeks following the celebration Teyla and John drifted farther and farther apart, just as he had feared might happen.

* * *

Teyla shook herself out of the memory and was angry to see that a single solitary tear had escaped. She hastily wiped it away before sipping at her tea. It had cooled down a lot and was now only luke warm, but Teyla did not mind and drank it anyway.

It had been so long ago, but she was still able to remember the events like it was yesterday. She also remembered quite clearly the weeks that had followed. Teyla had begun to distance herself from John. She would only talk to him when it was absolutely necessary, and whenever she could, she made sure to avoid him.

Sometime after that day, approximately five or six weeks later, Teyla had noticed that something was wrong. It should have been that time of the month, but something wasn't right. Slightly alarmed Teyla had gone to see Dr. Beckett, telling him of her problem.

The day after her visit, Dr. Beckett had called her back. He had said he needed to run a few tests before he would be able to tell if there was something wrong with her. She clearly remembered the doctor asking her to sit down while he told her the diagnosis. Teyla had also memorized the words that he had said. They were words that would change her life in uncountable ways.

_"Teyla, I've gotten all of the test results back." She nodded at him to continue. "Teyla love…you're pregnant."_

She had been shocked to say the least. Teyla knew of course that this could happen, but with the events of the morning after, the possibility had been shoved to the back of her mind. She had been too angry with John, and at herself, to even think about this happening. She remembered that they hadn't done anything to prevent this, although she knew that they should have.

Teyla had then asked Dr. Beckett to keep that visit confidential, because she did not want anyone else to know. He had asked her when she was planning on telling John. Teyla was stunned at the question. Dr. Beckett had explained to her that he had seen John follow her out of the party. Also, Dr. Beckett had left the party only a few minutes after John, and seeing as his room was quite close to Teyla's, he had accidentally overheard part of their conversation. Teyla made sure that Dr. Beckett understood that he could tell no one about her situation. He assured her that he wouldn't tell anyone, when a patient wanted something to be kept confidential he would not go against his or her wishes.

Teyla had left the infirmary with an uneasy heart. A part of her knew that she should tell John right away, but another part of her argued that he had said to **never** talk about what had happened that night, under any circumstances. After a few days of contemplating her situation, Teyla made her decision. She would not tell John, and not only that, but she would leave Atlantis.

On Dr. Beckett's day off she had asked him to fly her to the mainland. She needed to tell Halling where she was going, and why. He had tried to talk her out of her decision, but by that point she had made up her mind. She would leave Atlantis the next day, and she would not come back. She planned to go to live with the Atrians. They were a group of people much like the Athosians, and she had visited there on many occasions as a child. She was sure that they would be willing to let her live in their community, even in her current situation. She said her goodbyes to the Athosians but none, other than Halling, knew where she was going.

That same day, once she got back to Atlantis, Teyla went to see Dr. Weir. She was the only other person who needed to know that Teyla was leaving.

To say that Teyla had surprised Dr. Weir with her plan of action would be an understatement. Dr. Weir had demanded to know why Teyla was leaving, and with such short notice.

_"Teyla, I demand to know why you are thinking of leaving Atlantis."_

"_I am not thinking of leaving Dr. Weir, I am leaving."_

"_Do you know what Teyla?" Dr. Weir asked in a harsh tone. "You will not be going anywhere until you tell me why you want to leave."_

_The day had been emotionally draining on Teyla. She had already had to say goodbye to her people, and now she had someone yelling at her. That in combination with her uncontrolled hormones caused Teyla to break down in tears._

_She covered her face with her hands, but could not stop sobbing loudly. She was embarrassed by her lack of control, but this only seemed to make her cry harder._

_Dr. Weir was shocked by Teyla's reaction. "Teyla I'm sorry," she began in a much softer voice, "But as the leader of this facility I need to know why you plan on leaving."_

_That was all it took, and Teyla started to tell her everything. Dr. Weir might not be one of her closet friends, but she needed to get all of this off her chest before it became too much. Teyla told Dr. Weir everything, starting from the night of the party and continuing until the point where she had entered Dr. Weir's office only minutes before.

* * *

_

John was still lying on his bed, unable to fall asleep. So far he had counted 1, 212 spots on the ceiling. _I guess trying to bore myself to sleep isn't going to work either._ Checking his watch, John saw that supper would be ready in about ten minutes. He decided to make his way down to the mess hall. Hopefully after he had eaten, he would be able to fall asleep. He really needed to. _After all I do have another off world excursion scheduled for tomorrow afternoon._ It wouldn't be a hard one, but they were visiting a secluded village. It was impossible to land the puddle jumper in the dense vegetation of the forest that surrounded the village. That meant that they had to approach on foot, and it was a 'brisk walk' away from the gate. _If I don't get any sleep, then Rodney might even beat me to the village, and I can't let that happen._

By the time John had arrived at the mess hall there was already a handful of people lined up waiting for the food to be put out, and Rodney was at the front of the line. _Big surprise there, _John found himself thinking as he joined the end of the line.

After he had filled his tray with food he wandered over and sat down at Rodney's table. He knew that if he didn't McKay would take it as some kind of personal insult and in the end he would end up sitting there anyway.

"You know," Rodney began, "This chicken is surprisingly very good." Then he paused for a second to swallow. "I wonder what they put in it."

"Probably lemon." John replied. _He was asking for it._

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"Thank you." John said as he smiled for the first time that day. Making fun of Rodney always made him happy. Unfortunately McKay also noticed the change of attitude.

"Well, it's good to see that you're finally looking a little less depressed."

"I am not depressed McKay."

"No, he's right." A third voice had joined in their conversation. "You have been a little down lately." It was Ford.

"Lately," said Rodney, "More like always."

"Yeah man," Ford continued, "You look like someone died."

"I think it's more like someone might have died, and he wouldn't have been there to stop it from happening." McKay stated sounding impressed with himself at making the conclusion.

"Alright," John said starting to get angry. "I think that this conversation has gone far enough."

"Oh, hit a nerve did I."

"McKay." John said, his tone warning him not to take the conversation any further.

"Well, I am _so_ sorry for stating the obvious." McKay responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"There's nothing obvious about it. You're completely wrong McKay." John said. He found himself repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists beneath the table.

"You see Ford, we're right. Denial. It's one of the classic symptoms of…" but McKay didn't get to finish because John stood up so abruptly that his chair toppled over, interrupting McKay's sentence. Not even bothering to stand the chair back up, John stormed out of the mess hall leaving behind a shocked McKay and Ford.

Neither of them could possibly understand what he was going through. They had no idea about what had happened the night of the party. He was sure that what had happened that night had been the reason that Teyla left. John still remembered waking up one morning and going toone of theirbriefings. Teyla had been missing and when he asked Weir about it she said that Teyla had left. He had demanded to know where she left and why, but Weir wouldn't tell him. All she did was give him a pitying look, a look that explained nothing.

John had then flown over to the mainland, hoping that Teyla was there. He thought that she might have decided to go back and live with the Athosians. Upon arriving at the mainland, he found Halling. If anyone there knew where Teyla had gone it would be him. Just like Weir, Halling told him nothing. But instead of a pitying look, he received a murderous glare. John had then made his way back to Atlantis knowing only one more thing than he did when he left. Teyla had gone through the stargate.

John had made it to his room, and for the second time that day he lay down on his bed. His thoughts had drifted to Teyla again, but he did not even try to stop them. He saw images in his mind of the fun times they had spent together. All he could think of was how he had ruined the best friendship he had ever had. _God, I miss her._

No matter how much he tried to deny it, John missed Teyla. He missed her so much that it hurt, but what made it hurt even more was knowing that he was the reason she had left. He still cared about Teyla, even five years since he had last seen her. He cared about her a lot. Some days he even thought that his feelings might be more than just caring, but no matter what, he had screwed up. Teyla was gone.

* * *

Teyla set her empty mug on the table. Glancing out the window she was able to see the sun peeking above the horizon. It was pointless to go back to sleep now. The days were short here, and as soon as the sun had begun its ascent into the sky, it was time to start the tasks of the day.

Teyla was one of the few people who made clothes for the villagers. In return they would give her the food, and other items that she needed. All in all, living here wasn't so bad. It was very similar to living with the Athosians. But sometimes she still found herself wishing she were back at Atlantis, back with all of the friends that she had chosen to leave behind.

Teyla stood up, and walked over to put her mug on the counter. It was time to wake up her kids. The thought of her 4 year old twins brought a smile to her face. At least something good had come from that night.

**A/N: I should be posting the chapter 2 within the next few days. I'm warning you that it will be shorter, but at least I'll be able to post it sooner.**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**

**I would also like to thank everyone that reviewed the prologue. It is very much appreciated.**

**Shawn Provoncha: **Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

**Sum: **Thank you for your kind words.

**Madj: **I'm very glad that you like the direction the story is going. But after reading chapter 1, is that what you expected? Because if that's where you thought the story was going thumbs up! If not, I hope you still liked it anyways.

**alliefreelancer:** Thank you so much for the compliment. And hopefully you'll be able to get your fix, because I plan on updating often enough to have it done by September. And as you can probably see, it's going to be a fairly long story, so that means lots of updates. :)

**Only Memories: **Thank you, and I'm glad that you're anxious to keep reading.

**PentagonMerlin:** Thank you, I thought that it was fairly interesting as well. I hope you liked this chapter too. :)

**CharmedAli: **I hope that you enjoyed this chapter too.


	3. Chapter 2: A Deep Cold

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, you guys are awesome! And here's chapter 2. I personally don't think it's as good as the last two, but chapter 3 will make up for it. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its components.**

Chapter 2 – A Deep Cold

Teyla quietly slipped through the door into her room. She made her way over to the window, careful to avoid stepping on her kids. The night before they had begged to be allowed to sleep in her room. Normally she wouldn't have let them, but she too had been feeling lonely and given in to their request. Since the room was only big enough to hold one small bed, they had volunteered to sleep on the floor.

After pulling the window curtain to the side, and tying it to keep it in place, Teyla knelt down next to her children.

"Tagan, Abrianna, it is time to wake up now." She said in a gentle voice. Abrianna rolled over onto her other side, but did not wake. Tagan did not even seem to hear her. Teyla knew that if she managed to wake one of the twins the other would beawakewithin a few minutes. She also knew from experience that it was much easier to wake up Abrianna.

"Abrianna," Teyla said as she tenderly brushed the brown hair out of her daughter's eyes. "It is time to wake up."

Abrianna slowly opened her eyes. "Mommy," she began. "Do I have to wake up?"

Teyla held back a laugh. "Yes dear, I'm afraid that you do." Abrianna frowned, she was anot happy about this. "But Abrianna, can you do me a favour." After her daughter nodded Teyla continued. "Can you please wake up your brother?"

This had brought a smile to Abrianna's face, she nodded eagerly then proceeded to lean over her sleeping brother and repeatedly call out his name. Teyla smiled, knowing that Tagan would not be able to sleep through that for long. She got up and went back to the kitchen, leaving the job of waking up Tagan to her daughter.

Teyla quickly began to prepare a simple breakfast for her and her children. A not much later she heard "Abrianna get off me!" Tagan was awake.

By the time the kids had gotten dressed and made their way out to the kitchen, breakfast was on the table. Abrianna quickly sat in a chair and began to eat. Tagan on the other hand, made his way over to where Teyla was standing by the counter. "Do we have to go to Hanzila's today?" he asked.

"Yes, Tagan. You go there every day. It is very nice of Hanzila to watch the young children of the village while their parents are working."

"I know." Tagan sighed. He degradedly made his way over to the table and climbed up on the chair beside his sister's.

Teyla turned to face the window in an attempt to hide her smile. Tagan hated going to Hanzila's. Every day he would ask Teyla the same question, and every day he would get the same response. It was not that Tagan did not like to spend time playing with the other children of the village, it was the fact that he disliked the woman who looked after them. Tagan was a bit of a troublemaker, and Hanzila would not let him get away with anything. When he was at home, Tagan managed to get away with much more.

Pretty soon Abrianna was finished her breakfast, and had gone back into the bedroom to grab her doll before they left for Hanzila's. Tagan was still sitting at the table, playing with his food.

"Tagan, please finish eating. I am taking you to Hanzila's in a few minutes." Tagan sighed again, and then quickly wolfed down his meal. He was just finishing as Abrianna came back into the kitchen. She was clutching a shabby looking rag doll. Teyla had made it for her many years ago, and yet she still played with it.

Once Teyla had made sure the children were ready, they headed out the front door of their home and made their way to Hanzila's. It took only a few minutes to walk there, and although the children could have easily gone on their own Teyla accompanied them. They made their way through the streets of the village, calling out greetings to the few others that they saw. All the houses of the village looked almost exactly alike. Small and made of wood, they stood only a single story high. They were not luxurious, but they met the basic needs of the families who lived in them.

They rounded the corner and they could now see Hanzila's home. Abrianna immediately spotted one of her young friends and ran to meet her. Tagan began to slow his pace, as if doing so would lessen the amount of time he had to spend there. Teyla, who was holding his hand, gave a little tug silently telling him to get a move on.

Teyla and Tagan had reached Hanzila's, but before Teyla could turn around to leave, Tagan wrapped his arms around her waist. Teyla bent down and picked him up so that she could give him a proper hug.

"Be good Tagan." She said to him. " I will see you in a few hours."

"Yes, Mom." Was his reply.

Teyla then put him down, and he too spotted a friend and ran off to meet him. Teyla caught sight of the middle aged woman, Hanzila, and gave her a small wave before heading off.

* * *

John Sheppard lay in his bed trying to fall asleep. Unfortunately, sleep was still eluding him. A quick glance at his watch told John that it had been about six hours since he had stormed out of the mess hall. After that whole scene with McKay and Ford, he had been unable to get Teyla out of his head. The thing that bothered him the most was that McKay was right. _Sure, he's the smartest guy here, but he's hardly ever good at understanding stuff like this._ This time though, he had been very accurate in his observations about John's feelings.

In his heart John knew that he was the reason Teyla had left, and if by chance something had happened to her, he wouldfeel responsible. That morning, when he had woke up in Teyla's bed, he had been shocked. He could hardly believe what he had done. He knew that he should have talked to Teyla and at least found out how she felt about the situation. But he was stupid and he hadn't. He had been trying to avoid dealing withhis feelings for Teyla.Hefeared that if he did confront themit would somehow ruin their friendship. So when he found himself in that situation, he acted without thinking. He responded almost instinctively, and he knewthatit had been the wrong thing to do. He was also still berating himself for not trying to fix his mistake. Like a fool he had hoped that if he gaveit enough time things would go back to normal.

_Well that didn't work did it. I screwed up, and Teyla's gone. Probably forever._

And now John found himself with a very familiar problem. He was physically and mentally exhausted yet no matter what he tried, he could not fall asleep. Upon returning to his room John had tried everything he could think of to get his mind off of Teyla. He had even resorted to trying to read War and Peace, but his mind had been too occupied. He'd found himself two chapters ahead of where he'd started, with no recollection of what he had read just moments before. He'd also tried counting the spots on the ceiling again, but he lost count before he had reached forty.

_This is pointless, _John thought, _there's no way that I am going to be falling asleep anytime soon._

John got up, off the bed and grabbed a jacket that was in the pile of clothes on the floor. Zipping it up, he left the room hoping that a walk might work to set his mind at ease. Then maybe he would finally be able to get some rest.

* * *

Teyla gathered all the scraps of fabric that had been left from her work. She put them in a basket and went inside to put it away. The day had been lovely so Teyla had decided to work outside.

After putting away all of her materials Teyla grabbed the clothes that she had finished today. On her way to pick up her kids she would drop them off to the villagers she had made them for.

By the time Teyla had dropped off the clothes to the villagers, the sun had begun to set. Teyla was only a few houses away from Hanzila's when there was a large flash in the sky.

Immediately after the flash Teyla felt cold. It was a deep cold that felt like it came from within. It was a cold that Teyla had not felt for a very long time. Five years to be exact.

Teyla's heart rate increased dramatically.

Blood was pounding in her ears.

She could feel the adrenaline running through her body.

The wraith were here.

"The wraith are coming!" Teyla screamed. She began to run, she needed to get Abrianna and Tagan. If the wraith were here then she must get somewhere safe.

As she ran the villagers looked at her like she was insane. None of them had the wraith sense, and all they had seen was a flash in the sky. They did not know that anything was wrong. "The wraith are coming!" Teyla repeated. "Make it to the stargate."

Apparently some of the villagers believed her because they had begun to grab things from their houses and make their way to the gate. Teyla just hoped that they would make it in time. The gate was at least a fifteen minute walk from the village.

Abrianna and Tagan must have recognized her voice because they were standing outside of Hanzila's when she got there. Hanzila was behind them.

"Hanzila," Teyla began breathless from her run. "The wraith are here. Tell everyone that you can and meet at the stargate." Hanzila must have believed her because she took off at a run to the neighbor's house.

Both of the twins were scared, Teyla could see it on their faces. Teyla grabbed them both by the hand and they set off as fast as the twins could run. They reached their house and Teyla ran inside with the twins directly behind her. She needed to grab the GDO and radio that Dr. Weir had insisted she take with her when she left.

Teyla had grabbed them and, after turning on the radio, stowed the two things away in her pocket.All of a sudden Tagan spoke, "Mom, I feel cold."

Teyla was shocked; she had forgotten that both of her kids would be feeling the wraith's presence too.

"Me too." Said Abrianna.

"I know kids, but we cannot dwell on that right now. We need to make it to the stargate immediately."

Neither of the twins had ever seen their mother this scared and they each took hold of one of her hands as they left the house at a run. Their house was on the edge of the village so they had made it to the relative safety of the forest within minutes. By that time Teyla could hear the wraith darts, along with the screams of the villagers.

The twins ran as fast as they could, and Teyla maintained the same pace as them. She could have run faster, but that would mean leaving her kids behind and she would never do that. Occasionally one of the twins would stumble and fall, but Teyla would pick up whichever one it was and they would keep running. Teyla could also hear some of the other villagers running through the forest.

Teyla would seewraith transport beams sweeping through the forest sporadically, but thankfully none had passed close to them yet. The farther they ran the more tired the twins got. Teyla could tell that they were exhausted because their pace had slowed greatly. She found herself dragging them along.

They seemed to run forever. They were continuously trying to dodge under branches, but they were still getting numerous scratches on their faces, arms and legs. Since Teyla was tallest, she took the brunt of it.

After seeing the edge of the clearing where the stargate was, they all managed to put on an extra burst of speed. Just as they entered the clearing Teyla heard a wraith dart approaching. The stargate was too far; they wouldn't be able to get there before the dart arrived.

Teyla was right. They had not made it halfway to across the clearing when the dart passed overhead. It crossed the clearing ahead of them, picking up a group of five people who were unfortunate to run into its path.

Thinking they were safe, Teyla dragged Abrianna and Tagan closer to the stargate. Then, unexpectedly, the dart turned around. It was heading straight for them.

Teyla tried to run faster, but she couldn't, not with having to pull the twins behind her. The wraith dart was still heading straight for them. It was now only a few feet away and they were out in the open. Teyla tried to change direction, but it was useless. It just followed them.

The beam was directly behind them. Teyla had no choice but to try and dive out of its path. She flung her body to the left, pushing Tagan in front of her and pulling Abrianna behind her.

She was lucky. The beam had just missed them. Teyla stood, pulling the twins up with her. Tagan was standing, but Abrianna was still on the ground. Looking down Teyla felt her heart clench at the sight of her unconscious daughter.

Rapidly she picked Abrianna up off the ground. Carrying Abrianna in her arms Teyla, along with Tagan, made it the final distance to the stargate.

A quick glance behind told Teyla that some of the other villagers had also been fortunate enough to make it to the clearing. Teyla dialed the address to Atlantis as fast as she could, but it was difficult because of the child in her arms.

Within moments Teyla saw and heard the once familiar sound of the gate establishing a wormhole. She grabbed the GDO from her pocket and rapidly entered her identification code.

Then grabbing the radio, she waited for the response that would tell her it was safe to go through the gate.

* * *

John had spent the last hour walking around the hallways of Atlantis. He had managed to finally drive his all thought of Teyla from his mind. He was in the control room. It was his last stop before he headed off to bed.

He was just about to leave when he heard the sound of the gate dialing and a wormhole engaging. He knew that they were not expecting anyone to be coming through the gate so he glanced over at the technicians. They both looked as surprised as he felt.

"Who is it?" John asked.

"I don't…" the first technician started to respond. "Wait. We're receiving an IDC sir."

"Well who is it?" John demanded. This was wrong, there should be no one off world.

"It's…" the technician started with a look of confusion on his face.

"Speak up sergeant." John commanded. "Who is it?"

"It's Teyla sir."

**A/N: And so ends chapter 2. I'm going to startwriting Chapter 3 right away, but I'm working for the next two days so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get it up. But I promise that as soon as I'm finished I'll post it.**

**I know that I'm beginning to sound repetitive, but please review. Everyone's comments really help me to write better.**

**Lennexa: **Thank you so much. And you won't have to wait too long, only until the next chapter.

**alliefreelancer: **Once again, thank you for you kind words. You really helped to inspire me for this chapter. And don't worry, John won't be holding a huge grudge. He blames himself so much, that he hardly blames Teyla at all. He just really wants to know the truth.

**Only Memories: **Don't worry, you'll get to see John's reaction to the twins in the next chapter. Oh, and I hope this update was soon enough. :)

**OMGirl: **Thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

**Madj**: I'm glad that you're having fun reading the story. And don't worry, you'll only have to wait until the next chapter before the meet up again. As for asking people where she went, he tried to ask Dr. Weir and Halling but they wouldn't tell him. And nobody else knew where she went either. I guess I should have been clearer about that.

**PentagonMerlin: **Yes, John does like her, and he would like it to happen again. But the thing is he's afraid that what happened between them would ruin the friendship that they have. Also, he was so shocked about the situation he had found himself in; he didn't even bother to talk to Teyla about what had happened. If he did, he would have found out that she had feelings for him too. It's just something that he's tried to avoid for so long, that his instinctive response was to avoid dealing with his feelings, even though deep down he knows he should. Thank you for pointing this out to me, because I didn't realize I had been so vague when writing that part. As for the pregnancy thing, it just leads to a great story line. :)

**Strawberry Cupcake: **To answer you question, John is afraid that what happened would ruin the friendship that they have. Also, he was shocked about the situation he had found himself in, and didn't even bother to talk to Teyla about it. If he did, he would have found out that she had feelings for him too. It's just something that he's tried to avoid for so long, that his instinctive response was to avoid dealing with his feelings, even though deep down he knows he should. Wow, after writing all that I'm thinking that John's due in for an appointment with Dr. Heightmeyer. Lol.


	4. Chapter 3: Reunited

**A/N: Sorry for the delay but I've been extremely busy these past few days. And without further delay I present Chapter 3!**

**Previously:** _He was just about to leave when he heard the sound of the gate dialing and a wormhole engaging. He knew that they were not expecting anyone to be coming through the gate so he glanced over at the technicians. They both looked as surprised as he felt._

"_Who is it?" John asked._

"_I don't…" the first technician started to respond. "Wait. We're receiving an IDC sir."_

"_Well who is it?" John demanded. This was wrong, there should be no one off world._

"_It's…" the technician started with a look of confusion on his face._

"_Speak up sergeant." John commanded. "Who is it?"_

"_It's Teyla sir."_

Chapter 3 – Reunited

"Drop the shield sergeant." John ordered. He was surprised his voice sounded as calm as it did. John's pulse had increased rapidly; he could feel his heart pounding beneath his ribs. Teyla was on the other side of that gate, about to return to Atlantis after five years.

Within seconds the shield had been lowered and the sergeant was speaking into the radio. "This is Atlantis base, the shield has been lowered."

* * *

Teyla was waiting fearfully in front of the stargate. There were at least 3 wraith darts flying over the clearing, and if she did not hear a response soon she would have only two options left. One would be to try and run for it, and the other would be to go through the gate anyways risking the chance that the shield had not been lowered yet.

Then, like a ray of hope, a voice came over the radio. "This is Atlantis base, the shield has been lowered."

But before Teyla could respond in any way a blue flash shot by her, missing her head by mere inches. Instinctively Teyla ducked behind the DHD dragging Tagan with her. She did not have to worry about Abrianna because she was still unconscious in Teyla's arms.

A quick glance over her shoulder told Teyla that some of the wraith had beamed down to the ground and were pursuing the people on foot. It also appeared that despite this, some of the Atrians might be able to make it to the gate. Unfortunately for Teyla one of the wraith was directly behind her, he had his stunner raised and Teyla assumed that he had been the one to shoot at her. He was still quite far away, but if he managed to hit her with a stunner then she would be in trouble.

Teyla's heart was hammering in her chest. They were so close to safety yet so far. They still had to make it from where they were crouched behind the DHD to the gate without getting hit.

The wraith was closing in on them. The time to act was now.

"Tagan, whatever happens, make it through the stargate." Teyla said, having to raise her voice so that it was loud enough to be heard over the screams.

Too frightened to do anything else, Tagan nodded.

Teyla took a deep breath before making a mad dash for the gate. They were almost there when there was a loud explosion. Chunks of rock and dirt were thrown high into the air along with shrapnel from whatever bomb the wraith had just exploded. Teyla tried to shield Tagan from the blast with her own body.

It must have worked because Teyla could feel many sharp pains in her back telling her that the flying debris had hit her. But she couldn't stop. Not now. They were too close.

Using what little energy remained, Teyla took two running steps and dove through the stargate forcefully pulling her children with her.

* * *

John was worried, they had been waiting for almost a minute now but Teyla had not stepped through the gate. He was about to tell the sergeant to radio the message again, but stopped when pieces of rock and other debris were shot through the stargate at a relatively high speed.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed. But he didn't have to wait any longer to find out what had happened. All of a sudden Teyla came through the gate falling onto the ground unceremoniously. She had two kids with her.

John rushed down the stairs from the control room to the gate room. Before John could even reach her, Teyla had yelled to the sergeant to keep the gate open. Teyla had managed to haul herself to her feet. She was holding one of the kids in her arms and the other one rapidly stood up and wrapped his arms around Teyla's leg tightly. He buried his face into her pant leg. John could see tears welling up in his eyes.

Teyla was moving away from the gate as quickly as she could but it must have been difficult with a kid hanging off of her.

John had reached her, but before he could say anything he was interrupted by a group of six more people emerging from the stargate. A second later two more followed. The second person of the pair had seen Teyla and shouted. "That's everyone."

The sergeant didn't need to be told, he raised the shield and quickly deactivated the gate.

John had no idea what was going on, but he needed to find out.

Finally getting a good look at Teyla he noticed that she was injured. "Radio for a medical team!" he yelled to the sergeant.

Within seconds the heard over the radio, "Medical team to the gate room immediately."

Turning back to Teyla John was able to get a clearer look at her and the kids. Teyla had scratches covering her bare face and arms. Her clothes were ripped, her hair was a mess and her eyes…they held a wild terrified look. Something was horribly wrong.

"Teyla," he began. But then he paused. What was he supposed to say? He was shocked to see her, and there was so much that remained unresolved between them. The things that had been plaguing John's mind for the past five years now seemed so insignificant. Teyla was hurt and something was wrong. All that he could feel right now was his worry for her.

"Teyla," John began again. "What happened?"

* * *

Teyla was so relieved. They had managed to make it through the gate, and so had a handful of others. Abrianna was still unconscious, but they were safe now. That was all that mattered.

When Teyla heard her name she turned to face the person who had said it. It was John. With all of the things that had happened in the last hour or so, Teyla had not had a chance to even think about possibly seeing John again. But there he was. Standing only a few feet away from her.

She had heard him ask the question, but she hadn't responded yet. She was too surprised by the look on his face. Teyla had always thought that if she were to see John again he would be angry, or resentful towards her. But that wasn't the case. The concern on his face would be apparent to anyone, and it definitely wasn't what she had been expecting to see.

Teyla also wasn't expecting to feel the way she did. Teyla had been mad at John for so long that she hadn't expected to feel relief when she saw him. No matter what had transpired between them five years ago, it apparently hadn't been enough to completely ruin the strong friendship that they had once had.

Yet despite their personal background the most important thing was to tell John what was happening. "The wraith." That was all Teyla was able to say. She was still in shock over what had happened, and stringing together a whole sentence would have been near impossible.

John's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The wraith?" he questioned.

"Yes."

"Teyla, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need to know exactly what happened."

Teyla nodded her understanding, but didn't have a chance to respond. Dr. Beckett had arrived with the medical team.

"That can wait a few minutes Colonel. If we have injured people here they need to be tended to immediately." Dr. Beckett then stepped past John. His eyes widened in shock at seeing Teyla.

"Teyla?" he asked. "Well I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Please," Teyla pleaded. "The children." She gently laid Abrianna down on the ground. Her arms were grateful for the relief. Tagan then detached himself from Teyla's leg and sat on the ground holding his sister's hand.

"What happened to her Teyla?" Dr. Beckett began to examine Abrianna.

"Unconscious." Was Teyla's reply.

"How?" Beckett questioned as he shone his flashlight into Abrianna's eyes after having pulled her eyelids up.

It took Teyla a moment to realize what he was asking. "Fell. Hit head." Teyla was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. The edge of her vision was becoming fuzzy and she could hear a buzzing in her ears.

Dr. Beckett quickly stood up. "Teyla you should sit down."

"No. I'm…fine."

"No you're not Teyla," Dr. Beckett began. "You're hurt, more than these two. Now sit down, and I'll have a look at you."

Teyla shook her head. It apparently hadn't been the best choice of action because her vision doubled. For a few seconds there had been two Dr. Becketts standing in front of her, not one. The pounding in her ears had also increased dramatically.

She felt a hand on her shoulder steadying her. She didn't even have to look, she knew it was John. His presence was reassuring.

"Sit down." Dr. Beckett said, but Teyla barely heard him. The pounding in her ears was even worse than before, and everything in front of her eyes was swimming in her vision. The last thing that she remembered was a pair of strong arms catching her as she fell.

* * *

John stood holding an unconscious Teyla in his arms. One moment she had been standing, and the next thing he knew she was falling. Luckily he had reacted quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Lay her down gently." Dr. Beckett commanded.

John slowly lowered Teyla to the ground. When he stood up he noticed that the front of his shirt was wet with blood, Teyla's blood. Dr. Beckett had noticed too and immediately began to tend to Teyla's wounds. It appeared that the ones on her arms and face had already stopped bleeding; they just needed to be cleaned. If that was the case then where was all the blood coming from?

Dr. Beckett must have been thinking the same thing because he asked John to help him flip Teyla over onto her stomach. When they did the answer was obvious. Teyla had several open wounds on her back. They could be sent through the tears in her shirt.

John felt his heart constrict. It hurt him to see Teyla like this. She must have been in so much pain, but she had insisted Dr. Beckett take care of the children first. John glanced over at the children. The girl was still lying on the ground unconscious. The boy was holding her hand but looking at Teyla. His mouth was open in shock, and John could still see tears in the corners of his eyes.

John turned back to Teyla. He caught a glimpse of something metallic on her back. Looking closer John saw that there were pieces of metal imbedded all over Teyla's back.

"Beckett." He said in a worried tone, pointing at Teyla's back.

"Yes Colonel, I see them. It appears to be shrapnel of some kind."

"Like from an explosion?" John asked, suddenly wondering what Teyla had to go through to get to the gate.

Beckett nodded his head. "Aye, pass me a knife Colonel." Dr. Beckett asked pointing to a medical bag he had brought with him.

John opened the bag and quickly found the knife. He crouched down next to Beckett handing him the knife. The doctor began to cut open Teyla's shirt. Once he had succeeded in doing that he took it off of her completely, leaving her lying there in her pants and a bra.

Since the shirt was now off they could both get a better look at the injury. Most of the wounds were on Teyla's lower back. It was apparent that some of the shrapnel had also hit the back of Teyla's legs, but it hadn't done any damage because she was wearing leather pants.

Dr. Beckett set to work carefully removing the metal from the wounds. He said that he wanted to have it done before Teyla regained consciousness.

John knew that there was nothing that he could do to help the situation, but he felt like he should be doing something. He called up to the sergeant getting him to radio for Dr. Weir. If the wraith truly were back she needed to know about it.

That done John began a quick walk around the gate room. He counted only eight more people apart from Teyla and the two children that had come through with her. Everyone else seemed to be fine. Some of them were being tended to by members of the medical team, but none seemed seriously injured.

John told the medical team to get everyone who could move to the infirmary and start running tests on them. No matter why they were here, these people needed to receive the mandatory medical examination given to any visitor. There was no better time than the present.

Within moments Dr. Weir had arrived in the gate room. Upon spotting John she rushed over.

"Colonel what the hell is going on here?" she asked. "Who are these people?"

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. "They came through the gate with Teyla."

"Teyla!" Dr. Weir exclaimed.

John pointed over to where she was lying on the ground with Dr. Beckett still bent over her removing the pieces of metal.

Elizabeth turned back to John, her face had softened along with her voice. "Did she say what happened?"

"She said it was the wraith."

"But we destroyed the wraith." Elizabeth stated in a nervous voice. "Did she say anything else?"

"No."

"Then I guess we'll have to ask her when she wakes up." And with that they walked back over to where Teyla and Dr. Beckett were.

Once again John's heart clenched at the sight of Teyla lying on the ground.

* * *

Teyla slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she realized was that she was lying on her stomach. Before she had a chance to register any more of her surroundings a very familiar voice shouted, "She's awake!"

"Tagan…" she began to scold him for being so loud, but her throat was too sore to say anything else.

* * *

John had been conversing rapidly with Elizabeth and Carson about their current situation when he heard the young boy shout, "She's awake!" After the little girl had woken up, Dr. Beckett had asked the children to watch Teyla and tell them when she woke up. John had insisted they be taken to the infirmary with the others, but both Dr. Weir and Dr. Beckett said no.

They all quickly rushed over to where Teyla was lying only a few feet away. John heard her say something that sounded like Tagan, but her voice was quiet and he could have heard wrong. He assumed that she had been talking to the boy, but what were the chances that a boy from another planet would have the same name as her father? Not very good. He must have heard wrong.

"Careful love." John heard Carson saying. "Easy does it now."

He was helping Teyla to turn over onto her back and then sit up. Teyla must have been in much more pain than she had let on, because the entire time her face was contorted with pain.

She exchanged a brief look with Dr. Weir before she tried to stand. The key word was tried. Teyla had just started to put pressure on her legs when they had collapsed beneath her.

"Take it easy now Teyla," Dr. Beckett said, "I think that you may have sprained your ankle."

"It is fine." She said determinedly. She tried to stand again, but before her legs could collapse again John had stepped forward to help her. He hoisted her up under her arms and once she was standing he put his arm around her waist.

No matter how much she wanted to deny it, Teyla was hurt and she wasn't going to make it anywhere without help. John had been expecting her torefuse his help and try to stand on her own.So he was very surprised when she leaned some of her weight on him and put her arm around his shoulders.

"Thank you." She whispered. He felt a surge of sympathy for her. Teyla was not one to admit defeat easily. She must be in a lot of pain to accept his help, especially considering that they hadn't seen each other in five years and she had every right to be angry with him.

"You're welcome." He whispered back.

John was shaken out of his thoughts by Carson saying, "Alright let's get these three to the infirmary."

John and Teyla had started to make their way to the stair. Dr. Weir had held out her hands to the two children. They both took hold. The little girl then asked in a quiet voice, "Are you Dr. Weir?"

"Yes I am." She replied smiling.

Then the little boy spoke. "Mom told us about you." As he said this he glanced back at Teyla.

John's step faltered. _Mom?_

**A/N: And there end's chapter 3. Sorry for the cliffie, but if I didn't end it there; this chapter would have been super long. Anyways I am going to be really busy this upcoming week so I most likely won't get as much done on the story as I'd like to. Unfortunately I have a pretty heavy work schedule and driver's training, but I'll still try to write as much as I can. Also I need to know if you guys would like shorter chapters, meaning more updates, or longer chapters with more time between each update. I can write it either way so let me know what you want.**

**Also thank you to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it.**

**Here's the response to all the reviews on chapter 2. And thanks to all the new readers who also reviewed the earlier chapters.**

**PetagonMerlin:** Thank you for the compliment. It makes me feel better about the chapter.

**Kerry:** Thank you, I hope this is soon enough.

**wella:** Thanks!

**naomi:** Thank you so much, it's good to hear that people are enjoying my story.

**alliefreelancer:** Thank you so much for the compliment! And I'm glad that you liked my choice of name for her son. I was wondering if anyone would catch that. :) As for the story getting interesting…well that's definitely going to happen.

**OMGirl:** Thank you. And I figured that it was realistic for John to get so worked up. He let the love of his life slip through his fingers. He may not realize that he loves her yet, but he sure as hell knows he screwed up. And I hope that I didn't disappoint you with this chapter, for some reason I found it extremely hard to write. There was so much stuff I wanted to put in, but not all of it fit.

**Strawberry Cupcake:** Don't worry John and Teyla will end up together. It may not seem like it now, but they will in the end, rest assured. :)

**CharmedAli:** Here it is!

**Only Memories:** I liked your comment about the twins. I hoped that people would like them, because they are really sweet. I'd never really thought about one of them getting captured, though it would have made a good twist. And don't worry, John will stop blaming himself soon, and he'll try to do what he can to make up for his mistakes.

**mya croft:** I hope that John's reaction to Teyla was adequate. I kind of went for the silent shocked reaction, rather than the loud freak out reaction.

**Devine27:** Thanks so much for the compliment. It means a lot coming from you. I've read all of your stories and I just like to say that they're great!


	5. Chapter 4: Getting To Know

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I was really busy this past week with drivers training and work. So without any further ado, I present Chapter 4!**

**Previously**:

_John and Teyla had started to make their way to the stairs. Dr. Weir had held out her hands to the two children. They both took hold. The little girl then asked in a quiet voice, "Are you Dr. Weir?"_

"_Yes I am." She replied smiling._

_Then the little boy spoke. "Mom told us about you." As he said this he glanced back at Teyla._

_John's step faltered. _Mom?

**Chapter 4 – Getting To Know**

John turned to look at Teyla, but she had averted her eyes. He glanced back at the kids and for the first time realized that both of them looked a lot like Teyla, especially the girl. She looked like a much younger version of Teyla, but perhaps with a shade lighter skin. The boy looked very similar to the girl. _They must be twins._

John stopped for a few moments, forcing Teyla to stop as well. She still wouldn't look at him. John knew this wasn't the best time, but he needed to know.

"Teyla, are those your kids?" He tried to keep his voice calm, but it was difficult. He knew that if the answer was yes, there was also a good chance they were his kids.

Teyla hadn't responded. "Teyla," John asked again quietly. "Are those your kids?"

He stared at her for a few seconds more before she slowly nodded. She still wasn't meeting his eyes.

John was shocked. Teyla had kids, two of them. They had to be at least four years old. This meant that either as soon as Teyla had left she had met someone else, or they were his kids.

But before John could ask her if the kids were his, Dr. Beckett called from ahead. "Colonel, we need to get Teyla to the infirmary. So if you could please try and pick up the pace a little bit, that'd be great."

John reluctantly started to help Teyla along. He would have to ask her later.

* * *

With the help of John, Teyla gingerly sat down on a bed in the infirmary. The members of their little group were the only people in there at the moment. The rest of the Atrians had already completed their medical examinations and were in the process of being assigned living quarters by Sergeant Bates.

Dr. Beckett had already begun to examine her for any other injuries. "Well lass," he said. "There's nothing else wrong with you. Only the wounds on your back and your ankle."

"Only?" John asked.

"Aye, from the looks of things, it could have been much worse." Dr. Beckett said as he began to wrap a tensor bandage around her ankle. He had already given her something for the pain, so she hardly felt a thing.

While all of this was occurring, Teyla looked over at her children who were both sitting on chairs. They were both staring back at her. They looked worried, but it was not a surprise given what they had both just been through. Teyla was in fact proud of them. They had kept their heads surprisingly cool, considering the situation, and they were now waiting patiently for her.

Teyla also used this time to look over at John. When he had asked her about the kids, she hadn't known what to say. Teyla had known that he would have to find out eventually, so instead of avoiding it she had told him the truth. They were her kids. Now all that she had to tell him was that they were his kids as well. She wasn't looking forward to doing it, but it was something that had to be done no matter what. In fact, Teyla was now regretting her decision to ever hide that knowledge from him.

Teyla had assumed by John's reaction to the night they spent together that he **never** wanted to talk about it again. After all, that was what he had said. But Teyla still knew that she should have told him. No matter how much he may regret that night, he still had the right to know the truth.

"There you are lass," Dr. Beckett said interrupting Teyla's thoughts. "We're all done with that, now I'm just going to give you a mild sedative to help you sleep."

"No Dr. Beckett, I am fine." Teyla said. "I need to tell Dr. Weir what happened, and then look after the children."

Before Dr. Beckett could even reply, Dr. Weir was speaking. "Teyla's right Carson, we need to know what happened." At his disagreeing look she continued, "And then _after_ we have finished talking to Teyla, you can give her the sedative."

"But the children…" Teyla began.

"Don't worry Teyla," Elizabeth said. "When we're done talking I'll take them down to the mess hall to get something to eat, and then they can come back and sleep in here tonight. Alright?"

Teyla nodded. Then she began to recount the events of the night. Surprisingly it didn't take that long. They didn't know much except that the wraith were back. As soon as she was finished Dr. Beckett started to prepare the sedative.

* * *

John sighed. The wraith were truly back. Unfortunately that was about all the information Teyla had been able to tell them. Now Dr. Beckett was preparing to give Teyla a sedative.

John quickly took off his jacket, mentally berating himself for not doing so before. He handed it over to Teyla who was still wearing only a bra on her upper body.

"Thank you." She said quietly. She then quickly put it on, and zipped it up.

A few minutes later Dr. Beckett had administered the sedative, and Teyla had fallen asleep. Elizabeth then caught John's eye and mentioned that she wanted to speak to him in private. They both stepped off to the side, out of hearing from the rest of the group.

"John, I want you to take the kids to the mess hall and get them something to eat. When you're done you can bring them back here." Elizabeth whispered.

"Ok," John whispered back. "But I thought that you were going to take them."

Elizabeth smiled halfheartedly. "I think it would be better if you do it."

John shrugged and then went off to gather his charges. The two kids were sitting in chairs on the other side of the infirmary. When John reached them the boy said, "Who are you?"

John was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly recovered. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. Who are you?"

The boy, who was apparently taking this all in stride, said "Tagan Emmagan."

John raised an eyebrow in surprise. He did hear Teyla correctly when they were in the gate room.

John looked over at the girl. She still hadn't said anything. John crouched down in front of her, looking her in the eye. "What's your name?" he asked, trying not to sound too intimidating.

She quickly glanced down at her knees, but said quietly. "Abrianna."

John smiled, stood up and said, "Well Abrianna and Tagan, we are going to go to the mess hall to get something to eat."

"Good," was Tagan's response. "I'm hungry."

John stifled a laugh. Tagan had apparently recovered quite quickly from his ordeal. When he had first come through the gate he had been scared, and _very_ quiet. And now… not so much.

"Alright then," John said. "Let's go." He started to leave the infirmary but stopped at the door when he noticed that he only had one kid with him. Looking back over his shoulder he saw that Abrianna was still sitting in a chair.

"Abrianna, are you coming?" he asked.

She shook her head. John sighed and told Tagan to wait at the door. He walked back over to Abrianna and crouched down in front of her once again. "Why not?" he asked.

She pointed at Teyla, and John could see tears in her eyes. John felt a surge of sympathy for her. It must be so hard to see your mom lying in a hospital bed, especially after all that had transpired that night.

John put his hand on her knee and said, "Your mom is going to be fine. She's just sleeping." Abrianna turned to look at him and he continued. "She's just sleeping right now Abrianna. We're going to go get some food, and then both you and your brother can come back here to stay with your mom. Ok?"

John was relieved when she nodded. John had stood up and was about to turn around when surprisingly Abrianna lifted her arms over her head, indicating that she wanted to be picked up.

John reached down and lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. John suddenly felt very protective.

His mind didn't dwell on that thought for long, because Tagan was waiting impatiently at the door. "Can we go now?" he asked.

"Yes." John replied and then they headed for the mess hall.

By the time that they got there John's arms were starting to get sore. Abrianna was heavier than she looked. They entered the mess hall, and John turned on the lights. There was no one else there. After all it was well past midnight on Atlantis.

John led the kids over to a table and gently set Abrianna down on the ground. Both her and Tagan hopped up on the chairs.

"Ok," John began. "So what do you guys want to eat?"

Tagan shrugged and Abrianna didn't say anything.

"How about turkey sandwiches?" John suggested.

Immediately Tagan asked. "What's a turkey?"

"It's a kind of bird." John replied.

"What does it look like?" Tagan asked.

"Uhh," John said trying to think of a good way to describe a turkey. "Well…it's got feathers, and…"

"I know what a bird looks like, but what does a turkey look like?"

"It's a big ugly bird." John said, hoping that Tagan wouldn't ask him anything else.

Tagan nodded. Apparently he was satisfied with this description. John then quickly went into the kitchens to grab two turkey sandwiches and some juice. He came back out a few minutes later with the food, and the kids were still sitting quietly at the table.

He handed them each a sandwich and a glass of juice. Tagan began to immediately eat. John had to stop himself from laughing. _Well he did say that he was hungry._

John noticed that Abrianna hadn't touched her sandwich. At his inquiring glance she said softly, "I'm not hungry."

"Do you want something else?" John asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Ok," John said. He wanted to say something more, but couldn't think of anything. Abrianna and John sat there for a few minutes watching Tagan eat before Abrianna spoke.

"Did you know my mommy when she was here before?"

John was taken aback by the question. "Yes." John said before asking a question of his own. "Did your mom tell you about being here before?"

"Yes," Abrianna said softly. "She told us bedtime stories about the city of the ancestors."

Now John was curious. "What did she tell you?"

Abrianna shrugged. "She told us lots of stuff."

"Like…"

"Like the time there was a huge storm that almost hurt the city. And when the wraith were attacking the city and Dr. McKay made it invisible. Just, lots of stuff."

"So," John began. "She never said anything about me?"

"No." Abrianna said.

They sat in silence for a few moments. John had known Teyla was mad at him, but he was still surprised to find out she had completely left him out of the stories she had told the children. He wasn't trying to be cocky, but he did play a rather integral role in both of those incidents.

John looked over at Tagan who had been silent the entire time, and noticed that he had finished his sandwich and was now beginning to eat Abrianna's. John couldn't stop from smiling. _That kid can sure eat._ Then, John suddenly thought of a way to find out if these kids were his.

"Abrianna," he said. "Did your mom ever say anything about your dad?"

Abrianna shook her head. "No, I asked her once but she didn't tell me anything."

Then all of a sudden Tagan joined the conversation. "We don't got a Dad."

"I'm sorry." John said, unsure of what else he could say. Since the kids didn't know anything about their father, he would have to ask Teyla tomorrow. Noticing that Tagan had finished eating he said. "Let's go back to the infirmary. Ok?"

"The what?" Tagan asked.

"The infirmary," At the puzzled looks of both kids he continued. "Where your mom is."

"Ok." They said at the same time. Tagan started making his way out of the mess hall, but Abrianna lifted her arms up over her head again. John picked her up and they followed Tagan back to the infirmary.

**A/N: Sorry for the crappy ending to this chapter, but the next one will make up for it I promise. Also thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Also, it shouldn't take me as long to get the next chapter up.**

**OMGirl:** Thank you so much. I was really pleased with that sentence too. At first I wasn't sure how I was going to get John to clue in to the fact that they were Teyla's kids, but then it just came to me.

**PentagonMerlin:** Yeah, John is being kind of clueless. Lol.

**Madj:** Yeah, Teyla's going to be Ok. And for the wraith, well…we haven't seen the last of them yet.

**mya croft:** Thanks, I hope you like this chapter too.

**CharmedAli:** Thank you.

**Only Memories:** I'm glad you liked his reaction, and you won't have to wait long to see everyone else's. Next chapter, I promise.

**Strawberry Cupcake:** Thank you and I hope you liked this chapter too. :)

**sum.oc:** Thank you so much. I'm glad you like the way I portrayed Teyla. I've always seen her as being very strong, so I thought it fit her character to have her be strong enough to leave John. And you're right about the sucking up. Lol.

**alliefreelancer**: Thanks for the idea about the conversation between John and the kids. (Hopefully you got my email.)

**deal4321:** Don't worry, it won't take John much longer to find out for sure.

**Yrica:** That you so much. I love the fact that you're reading this and you're from Germany. And you won't have to wait long to see John's reaction to finding out that the kids are his.

**kippling croft:** Thank you. John and Teyla will get together, and I'm glad that you like the kids.

**Lennexa**: Thank you very much. I'm glad that you enjoyed the last two chapters, and hopefully you liked this one too. :)


	6. Chapter 5: Heart to Heart

**A/N: Sorry once again for the delay.**

**For the purpose of this story Ford has been cured of his wraith enzyme problem, but I won't go into details on how. It's really not important to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its components.**

Chapter 5 – Heart to Heart

Teyla woke to the sounds of her children whispering. They were standing beside the infirmary bed that she was in, and they were talking to each other and trying to be quiet. Teyla slowly sat up, and immediately began to feel the effects of the previous day.

Tagan had noticed that she was awake and shouted, "She's awake."

Luckily there were only two other people in the infirmary, Dr Beckett and one of the nurses. Dr. Beckettwalked over at Tagan's exclamation. Dr. Beckett then began to check her temperature and blood pressure among other things. Within a few moments he was done.

"Well," he began. "I'm just going to have to get you some crutches lass, but then you're free to go." He paused before continuing. "Now it will take a few days for those wounds on your back to heal, but there's nothing else that can be done to help them heal quicker."

Teyla nodded her understanding. The wounds on her back were sore, but they were still feeling much better than they had the night before. As Teyla waited for Dr. Beckett to return with the crutches, she asked the kids how they were doing. Both said that they were fine, and Tagan said that he was hungry. Apparently they had not had breakfast yet. Teyla decide to take them down to the mess hall as soon as she got her crutches, but at the thought of that her stomach turned queasy. She would be coming face to face with many people that she had not seen in years. And the worst part of it was they had no idea why she had left.

Teyla's mind quickly went through the list of people that she would be seeing, people who were good friends and would want to know why she left. First and foremost, (after John that is), there was Ronon. Since he had come to Atlantis they had become very close friends. Then there were her two other good friends, Lieutenant Ford and Dr. McKay. Teyla was sure that both of them would also want to know where she went. She sighed. She had no idea how she was supposed to deal with this.

Dr. Beckett was just handing her the crutches as someone walked into the infirmary. It was John.

Teyla's pulse quickened. She had not been expecting to see him, although taking a second to think about it she was no longer surprised. Coming to check on her was the exact thing that she would expect from John.

"How's the patient Doc?" he asked. He was smiling. Obviously he already knew that she was Ok.

"Don't worry John," Dr. Beckett said. "Teyla is fine. She just needs to use these crutches for a few days."

John nodded seeming satisfied. Then he asked, "So, who's up for breakfast?"

Tagan immediately stood up and said, "Me!"

"Ok, that makes one. Ladies?" he asked, looking at Teyla and Abrianna.

Abrianna nodded. Teyla said, "You do not need to escort us to breakfast Colonel Sheppard. I can take the children myself."

"I know." He said, but he did not leave. "Ineed to have breakfast too."

"Should you not be in a meeting with Dr. Weir about the wraith?" Teyla asked, wondering why they were not doing anything about the situation.

"No," John replied. "After you have breakfast Dr. Weir wants to talk to you again, and then after that we will have our briefing. As for now, Dr. Weir is recalling all off world teams."

Teyla bowed her head in acknowledgement. That was probably the best course of action given how little they knew about the wraith's return. Dr. Beckett then said that they were free to go, so Teyla stood up. Then she realized that she was still wearing the clothes from the night before. Before she even had time to comment or ask for some clothing, John handed her a bag that he had been holding.

Teyla opened it to find fatigues inside. She nodded her thanks and then excused herself to go change. She only had to hobble a few steps over to the 'dressing room.' It was really only curtains hung on a sliding track, but it would serve its purpose well enough. After Teyla had changed into the clean clothing and put away her old clothes, she exited the 'dressing room' to find John and the twins waiting for her.

John handed her the crutches and said, "Let's go." Then, unexpectedly, Abrianna walked over to John and lifted her arms up. John immediately bent down and picked her up. Abrianna then wrapped her arms around John's neck. Teyla was shocked. Normally Abrianna was very shy around people that she didn't know.

Teyla was also shocked that John did not seem the least bit uncomfortable with the situation. Teyla couldn't help but wonder if he would feel any differently knowing that those were his kids.

* * *

John had noticed Teyla's look of surprise when he picked up Abrianna, but he didn't comment on it. It just reinforced John's decision that they needed to talk. John had been awake for almost the entire night replaying Teyla's arrival in his head. It was so unexpected that he hadn't had a chance to think about it while it was happening.

He had come to the conclusion that the twins were his kids. He was ninety nine percent positive that he was right. After spending time with them the night before he realized how much Tagan acted like him, or at least like how he did when he was a little kid. Abrianna on the other hand didn't, but she reminded him so much of Teyla. There was also the fact that John was sure that Teyla wasn't the kind of person to run off and then meet up with a guy on the spur of the moment. The kids were old enough that they had to be either John's, or Teyla had to have had them with some one she met immediately after leaving.

After John had come to his conclusion, he had originally been angry with Teyla for not telling him. Then he remembered back to that night, and remembered how Teyla had encouraged his advances. He also remembered that the morning after she did not seem at all surprised or upset to find him in her bed. He had realized that he had made a huge mistake five years ago when he told Teyla that he never wanted to talk about it again. It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that she didn't mind what had happened that night, and that he was the reason she had left.

For as long as John had know her, Teyla always took things at face value. If you told her to never do something, she would _never_ do it, no matter what the circumstances. If the kids were his, then that was probably why Teyla had not told him, and why she had left.

John had spent all night thinking about the situation that he was in. Not the situation with the wraith, but the one with Teyla. In order to sort it all out, or at least try to sort it out, they needed to sit down and talk. But John knew that wasn't going to happen right now. Right now, he needed to escort Teyla and the twins to the mess hall so that they could get some breakfast.

He started heading to the mess hall, but slowly so that Teyla could keep up on her crutches. He listened to Tagan asking questions about Atlantis. Teyla answered all his questions patiently, taking the time to explain to him in detail about the city. John could tell by the way that Abrianna was turning her head that she too was listening to Teyla's answers. John smiled. _Teyla makes a really great mom._

By the time they had reached the door to the mess hall John was certain that Tagan had asked every possible question that he, or anyone else for that matter,could think of. John paused at the door to the mess hall, planning on activating it for Teyla, but she stopped before he could open the door.

He looked at her questioningly and saw the look of uncertainty on her face. John then realized that Teyla must be nervous about seeing everyone after all these years. "Don't worry Teyla." He said. "There won't be too many people in there, it's pretty late and almost everyone has already eaten." John didn't mention the fact that there was a good chance that Ronon, Dr. McKay and Lt. Ford would be in there, seeing as this was supposed to be their day off.

Teyla nodded, and as John activated the door to the mess hall, she went through.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 

Teyla entered the mess hall and was glad to see that it was only about one quarter full. Normally around meal times it would be packed, Teyla was just thankful that it was later in the day and that wasn't the case. She didn't want to be bombarded with questioning stares by people who had known her when she had been here before.

Teyla, John and the twins made their way over to the line up for food and luckily no one stopped them. A few people glanced their way, but none were people that Teyla knew. They were probably just surprised to see kids in the mess hall.

After filling their plates with food, the group went in search for a table. John was leading them over to a secluded corner where it seemed would be a good place to sit. It was then that Teyla caught sight of once very familiar dreadlocks.

There, only about eight feet away was Ronon. Upon closer inspection Teyla saw that he was sitting with both Dr. McKay and Lt. Ford. It was the latter one who spotted her.

Lt. Ford, who had been in the middle of a heated discussion with Ronon, quickly stood up as he caught sight of Teyla. "Teyla?" he asked. He looked shocked to see her, but then Teyla wasn't surprised. She had, after all, been gone for five years.

John too had heard Aiden's voice and stopped. Before Teyla could think of anything suitable to say, Aiden had rushed over and enveloped her in a huge hug. It was rather awkward considering that she was using crutches, but Teyla was pleased nonetheless. She felt a prickling sensation at the corners of her eyes. She hugged him back as well as she was able to with her crutches.

Then unexpectedly she felt her crutches being pulled out of her hands, and she heard them being set down on the floor. She didn't know who it was that had taken them, but she used the opportunity to wrap her arms around Aiden better. She hadn't expected this warm of a welcome, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. When Aiden finally released her, all he said was "Welcome back."

Teyla smiled at his words, but before she could say or do anything else she was swept up into another hug. Ronon had lifted her right off the ground. He was holding her so tight that she thought her ribs might crack under the strain of his embrace. He whispered into her ear so that no one else could hear. "You've got some explaining to do." Teyla merely nodded her agreement, with her head atop his shoulder.

Then, very gently, Ronon put her back down on the ground and handed her the crutches. Ronon quickly glanced at the kids, and then back at Teyla. She knew that he had figured out why she left. She was just thankful when he didn't say anything out loud. Now Teyla had two people to talk to, John and Ronon.

No one had spoken for a few seconds, and the silence was becoming tense. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view,McKay used this opportunity to start talking.

"Teyla what are you doing here?" But instead of giving her time to respond he just kept talking. "We haven't seen or heard from you in five years and then all of a sudden, poof, you're here. I heard the rumor that you had come back with a group of people who were fleeing the wraith, but that's ridiculous. We all know that the wraith were destroyed a long time ago."

Dr. McKay had paused for breath and Teyla used the opportunity to speak. "The rumor that you heard was true Dr. McKay."

"But…we destroyed the wraith, there's no possible way that they came back."

"Dr. McKay, we did not destroy the wraith entirely. There were a few hive ships left intact and they fled the galaxy." At his skeptical look she continued. "Is it not possible that they traveled to another galaxy to feed and grow in numbers so that one day they might return to seek revenge for their defeat?'

"No." McKay stated, sounding very sure of himself.

"Rodney." John said, using his warning tone.

"Well Ok," McKay began. "It's possible, just very unlikely." When no one said anything McKay decided to keep talking. "So, _if_ the wraith are back shouldn't we be doing something about it, you know, in a meeting with Dr. Weir…"

"No," John said. "We shouldn't. Not right now at least." Seeing the look of confusion on the faces of the others he continued. "After Teyla has breakfast I'm supposed to take her to see Dr. Weir so that she can ask Teyla more about what happened and then, later this afternoon, we will have a briefing with Dr. Weir."

Then, all of a sudden, all three men began bombarding Teyla with questions about the wraith attack.

"Hey!" John shouted over their voices. "How about we ask the questions during the briefing." And with that all three men became quiet. But it was not long until Dr. McKay started talking again. This time he was asking questions about where Teyla had gone, why she had left, and things like that.

"Hey!" John said again. "Cool it Rodney."

"Oh, like you don't want to know the exact same thing." McKay said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The two of them were staring daggers at each other, so Teyla decided to intervene. "Dr. McKay, it is true that I owe all of you an explanation, but I am not ready to give it to you now. But rest assured I will tell you why I left, just not at this moment."

Rodney nodded although he seemed entirely unsatisfied with that answer. Then he said, "And what's with these kids anyways?"

John was about to speak, no doubt to tell Rodney to knock it off, but Teyla spoke first. "Dr. McKay, Ronon, Lt. Ford," she said. "These are my children."

"Your what!" said Aiden and McKay at the same time. Ronon didn't say anything, but he did raise his eyebrow in surprise.

"My children." She repeated. This was not going as she wanted it too. She knew that they would be shocked by this piece of information, but she had no idea that they would react this much to knowing that she had kids. Teyla had hoped that they would accept the 'new' her with open arms, but her hope was being slowly diminished by their reactions to the news of her children. Could they not understand that it had been five years, and that some things must have obviously changed?

* * *

John could see the look of disappointment on Teyla's face after Rodney and Aiden voiced their reactions. He decided to step in before this got ugly. "Hey," he began. "It's been five years since we've last seen Teyla, and obviously some things are going to have changed. Can't you just accept that?"

Ford nodded. Rodney and Ronon merely looked at John, but at least they weren't asking any further questions about the kids. In fact John didn't want them to, at least not until he found out for sure if the twins were his.

They had once again returned to that awkward silence, but thankfully it was broken by Ford asking the kids what their names were. Tagan answered, but Abrianna merely wrapped her arms around her mother's good leg, and turned her face away.

Teyla smiled at Abrianna's actions and said. "This is Abrianna. Abrianna and Tagan this is Ronon, Dr. McKay, and Lieutenant Ford." She indicated each man in turn.

"It's really nice to meet you." Said Ford.

"Yeah, same here." Said Ronon in agreement.

Dr. McKay on the other hand remained silent, but his dislike of children was well known so John wasn't surprised by this action. John, who was hoping to get past this awkward reunion, suggested that they all sit down and eat their breakfast. Immediately Ford went to go grab some extra chairs, and once he had pulled them over from the nearest table, they all sat down.

The twins began to eat right away. The others however spent a few tense minutes looking at each other before they did too. Eventually Ford started making light conversation, probably just hoping to end the awful silence. Pretty soon they were talking freely, and it almost seemed like the old days. On the whole, John observed, things could have gone a lot worse.

* * *

After they had finished eating Aiden had volunteered to take the twins on a grand tour of Atlantis and Teyla had reluctantly agreed. It was not that she did not trust Aiden. It was just that after the night before, Teyla had become increasingly concerned for her children's safety. Actually, it had been John's encouragement at the idea that convinced Teyla to let the kids go with Aiden.

After Aiden and the kids had left, Dr. McKay had excused himself saying that he had some very important tests to run on a ZPM in his lab. Ronon excused himself too, saying that he was going to go work out. But before he left he made sure that Teyla knew they would be talking later.

Once Ronon had finally left, Teyla and John were left alone for the first time since she arrived. To be truthful it greatly unnerved her. Everyone else had left the mess hall, and that meant that Teyla and John were truly alone. The tension in the air was palpable, and yet all of that tension was not bad.

After they heard the door click shut behind Ronon they spent a few minutes just staring at each other, taking in all of the little changes that had occurred over the last five years. Teyla was the first to break the silence. "John we need to talk."

She could tell that he was shocked by her use of his first name. Ever since that morning she had always called him Colonel Sheppard, or more simply, just Colonel.

John nodded his head and answered in a very quiet voice. "Yes we do." Teyla opened her mouth to begin her explanation, but he interrupted her. "But not right now. First we have to go see Dr. Weir. After that…we can talk."

John then headed for the door of the mess hall. Teyla could tell that he was deliberately keeping his pace slow so that she may keep up. They then walked to Dr. Weir's office side by side.

* * *

John was waiting outside of Elizabeth's office for Teyla. They had gone straight there from the mess hall, and had immediately begun to talk about the wraith and the possibility of attack. They had not talked for too long, because they did not really know that much information about the wraith's return. They knew that they had returned, and that they had begun to cull 'their' worlds, but what they did not know was their numbers and tactics.

After they had discussed as much about the wraith as possible, Elizabeth had asked John to leave so that she may talk to Teyla alone. And that was why John found himself waiting in the hallway for Teyla for the past fifteen minutes. Many people had passed and looked at him strangely for loitering outside the door, but he had no choice, he had to wait so that he could finally talk to Teyla.

Just as John was considering knocking to see if they were almost done, Teyla stepped out of the office. Well…not so much stepped out as hobbled out. John stood to the side to allow her to get through the doorway with her crutches. And much to John's satisfaction he was rewarded with a smile for his efforts.

Teyla then paused and said. "We need to talk."

"Ok," John said suddenly feeling rather nervous. "Let's go to the meeting room. It's really close so you won't have to walk very far, and no one can hear us."

Teyla nodded and they walked to the meeting room in silence. Once they were there and the windows were all closed they both stood, merely looking at each other, neither one knowing what exactly to say. In the end, it was John who finally broke the silence.

"Why did you leave?" John's voice seemed strained and laced with heavy emotion. When Teyla did not answer right away he asked another question. "Was it because of what happened between us?" His voice was quiet, but to Teyla it seemed to thunder in her ears.

At his question Teyla felt the return of old, harsh feelings towards John for his reaction to their night together. "You said that you _never_ wanted to speak of it again." Her voice was harsh, and she saw John flinch at the animosity it carried.

"I know…"

"Then why do you bring it up now?" Teyla's voice was slowing getting louder, and for the second time that day she felt tears building up behind her eyes.

"Teyla I shouldn't have said it, it's a simple as that."

"It is not simple John. I did not regret what happened between us, not at all. But yet when we were in a situation that forced us to confront our feelings for each other you rejected me."

"I didn't know what else to do Teyla." By this point both Teyla and John were on the verge of shouting. "I was afraid of losing you as a member of my team, and as my best friend."

This admission shocked Teyla. "Why did you think that you would lose me?"

"I don't know, I just thought that if things were to change between us we might lose what we had."

"Or," Teyla said. "We may have been able to create a relationship that was better than what we previously had. But that did not happen because you never gave it a chance. You did not even ask for my opinion on how we should have dealt with the events of that night. And in the end, you lost me anyways."

"I know!" John shouted. "And I have regretted that every day since you left. I wish that I could go back and relive thatmoment so that I could change what happened between us, but I can't." John's voice resonated off of the sides of the room.

Lowering his voice John continued. "Teyla, did you leave because of what happened that night?"

Teyla took a deep breath before responding. She knew that this was it. Now was the moment to tell John the truth, about everything. "Yes." She spokequietly, almost too quietly for John to hear her.John did not react the way Teyla had expected him to. He merely stood there listening to her explanation with a relatively calm look on his face. "I thought that eventually I would be able to forget about that night, at least enough so that I may move on with my life,returning it to howit was before. But that changed when I found out that…"

"That…"

"When I found out that…" But Teyla couldn't say it. She was ashamed of herself for not being able to and she felt hot tears streaming down her face. She was ashamed that she could not even tell John the truth. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to say the words. She turned away from John. She needed to be looking somewhere else, anywhere else but him.

Then she heard his voice quiet and calm from behind her. "Are Tagan and Abrianna my kids?"

Teyla, who wasunable to stop herself, gasped. There it was, the question that she knew in her heart she must answer. She slowly turned back to face John. It took all of her willpower, but she looked him in the eye and said. "Yes."

Whatever response Teyla had been expecting, it wasn't this one. John closed the gap between them and captured Teyla in a hug. Luckily she had set her crutches down leaning against the table, and she was able to wrap her arms around his neck. She needed this comfort more than anything, especially considering recent events. Teyla buried her face into John's shoulder and the tears began to flow more freely down her face. Within seconds she was sobbing on his shoulder and soaking his shirt with tears. All the while John simply held her and rested his chin on the top of her head. He then began to gently rub tiny circles on her back with the palm of his hand.

Neither of them spoke, for at this moment actions spoke louder than words.

* * *

John stood holding Teyla and rubbing her back until her sobs subsided. The strength of her emotions had astonished John. He had known that she was mad about what he did, but it was not until moments ago, when he saw the look on her face, that he realized how much he had hurt her. John silently promised himself that he would do anything to make it up to her. She deserved at least that.

Now, John and Teyla just stood there, wrapped up in each other's embrace. Then, unexpectedly, Teyla spoke. Her voice was muffled against John's shoulder but he was still able to tell what she was saying. "I'm sorry John, I was wrong to not tell you about the twins."

John reluctantly pulled away from Teyla, so that he may get a good look at her face. He gently brushed the hair away from her face and wiped the tears away from beneath her eyes. "Teyla, maybe you should have told me, but at the same time I'm at fault too. I never should have rejected you like I did. I should have actually talked to you about what happened, not just dismissed it out of hand. I'm the one who should be apologizing…I'm sorry Teyla, for everything."

Teyla sniffed and then said, "I will only accept you apology if you accept mine." Then she smiled, a true smile, and the sight of it warmed John's heart.

John then wrapped her up in another hug and said, "I accept you apology, so I guess that you accept mine."

"Yes, I do." She said, and John could tell that she was smiling against his shoulder. Maybe everything would be all right after all.

**A/N: And there it is, Chapter 5! I hope that you all enjoyed it, because I had a really fun time writing it. And coming up in chapter 6, a very unlikely wraith attack, so stay tuned. :)**

**Also I'm very sorry for the long delay on getting this chapter out, but today is my first day off from work in a very long time, and it is really the only time I had to write. And I know I ask this a lot, but please review. I really, really appreciate it.**

**deal4321:** Thank you, and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.

**Strawberry Cupcake: **The kids will find out eventually, and I hope that you liked this chapter too. :)

**PentagonMerlin:** Thank you, I really wanted to distinguish the fact that there are two different children, not just one set of twins.

**ArtysThunder: **Thank you!

**kaelleigh: **I'm glad that you liked my decision to wait for John to find out about the kids. I thought that the story would lose some of its integrity if he found out too early.

**Devine27: **Well…there wasn't much groveling, but I hope you liked it anyways.

**Only Memories: **I'm glad that you liked the interaction between John and the kids. The idea was actually given to me by alliefreelancer.

**Kym: **Thank you, and I'm glad you like the kids.

**Cpt. Ritter: **Thank you so much for the compliment. I'm glad that you're enjoying my story.

**kippling croft: **I'm glad that you liked the scene with John and the kids. The idea was actually alliefreelancer's.

**OMGirl: **Thanks, that's a really good thing to hear. As for Tagan giving John a hard time…I'm not sure yet, we'll have to see.

**crookedpen: **Thanks! I'm sure that if the kids did know about John being their Dad they would have told them, but unfortunately, they don't.

**Trickster's Queen of War:** Thank you!

**alliefreelancer: **I'm glad that you liked the ending. Your comment about it actually makes me feel a lot better about my decision to end it there. And I'm glad you liked the interaction between John and the twins. And once again, thanks for the idea. :)

**Charmed Ali: **I'm glad you liked them.

**Yrica:** Once again, thank you so much for the compliments. And I'm glad you liked the part about Abrianna wanting to be picked up, I thought that it was kind of cute. :)


	7. Chapter 6: The Attack

**A/N: Thank you once again to my faithful reviewers, you guys know who you are. And also, thank you to all the new readers/reviewers. It's good to see new people reading my story. Now without any further delay, I present Chapter 6. I apologize that it's not as long as the others, but it is that way for a reason.**

Previously:

_Teyla sniffed and then said, "I will only accept you apology if you accept mine." Then she smiled, a true smile, and the sight of it warmed John's heart._

_John then wrapped her up in another hug and said, "I accept you apology, so I guess that you accept mine."_

"_Yes, I do." She said, and John could tell that she was smiling against his shoulder. Maybe everything would be all right after all._

Chapter 6 – The Attack

They stood there, wrapped in their embrace, for a few minutes before John heard someone calling him on the radio. Teyla must have overheard the chatter from his headset because she withdrew from his arms. John let her, but very reluctantly.

He then spoke into the microphone, "Sheppard here." He was glad that his voice sounded steady. He had thought that it would be shaky at the very least considering how emotionally draining his talk with Teyla had been.

"Sir," John recognized Ford's voice. He sounded worried and out of breath. "The kids are heading toward the control room. I don't know what happened. They were fine, then all of a sudden they started talking all funny and saying some pretty unbelievable stuff."

"What?" John practically screamed into his mouthpiece. His heart was beating fast now. Somehow, knowing that the kids were his made the situation a whole lot worse.

"Sir," Ford said. Then he took a deep breath and said. "I think it's the wraith." He still sounded out of breath, in fact it sounded like he was running after them.

Without a second thought John radioed Ford saying, "I'm on my way." He barely had a chance to catch a glimpse of Teyla's worried face before he ran out the door at full speed, heading for the control room.

John was so focused on making it to the control room that he almost didn't hear Teyla following him out the door. He didn't know if she had overheard the conversation, but she must have known that something was wrong.

John raced through the hallways at top speed as he unceremoniously dodged people that were in his way. To John it seemed like forever until he reached the control room. Just as he rounded the last corner he could see the two kids running into the control room from the other entrance with Ford hot on their heels.

They came to an immediate stop when they saw that John was between them and the dialing control panel. They both frantically looked around, but the strange thing was that they were both doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. It was like someone had synchronized them to act as one.

When Tagan opened his mouth to speak, Abrianna did too. Or maybe it was the other way around, John didn't know. But when they spoke, they spoke as one.

"Let the children through the gate." Their voices did not sound normal, in fact they sounded very much like Teyla had when the wraith had possessed her so long ago.

"I'm sorry," John said sarcastically knowing that he was talking to the wraith here. "But I don't think I'm going to do that."

"You must." They said, still talking in the same deep voice. "If you do not, you will have to face the consequences."

"Oh really." John said as he pulled out his gun. The last thing he wanted to do was shoot one or both of his kids, and he was hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to that as a means to stop them.

"Yes," they replied smilingly gleefully. It was horribly disturbing to see such a malicious look on the faces of children.

It was at this point that Teyla finally entered the control room limping very badly. John quickly glanced around him and noticed that a few others had shown up as well, including Dr. McKay and Sergeant Bates.

Before John had a chance to say anything else to the wraith controlling the twins Teyla spoke. "Let them go." It was a demand stated in the harshest voice John had ever heard.

Then they laughed. It was a cold and ruthless laugh that sounded completely wrong coming from the mouths of innocent twins. "Why would I do that, when these children fell so easily into my control. And I have need of them. We have need of them. Let them through the gate."

"Like I said," John began. "I'm not going to do that."

"Very well then." The twins said, still talking in that horrible voice. "But I am not going to release my control over these children."

"Let them go!" Teyla screamed.

The twins did nothing but stand there with that awful grin on their faces. Then suddenly they made a dash straight toward John and more importantly the control panel. John tried to hold them back, but somehow the wraith had managed to lend its strength to the children too, because they knocked him over and immediately began to dial a gate address.

They were so quick that within a few seconds they had finished dialing and were rushing down toward the gate. "Shut if off!" John commanded as he followed them down the stairs into the gate room with his gun still poised to shoot. He distantly heard someone yelling in the background that they couldn't turn the gate off. Ford and Bates had followed John down, and they both had guns too. Yet no one shot.

John knew that this was going to be his last chance to stop the wraith, but he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. No one should have to feel that kind of inner turmoil, how could you decide whether or not to shoot your kid when it might either save them or damn them.

John then heard the click of the trigger as it was starting to be pulled. It was Bates. He had begun to pull the trigger but paused when Teyla yelled, "Sergeant no!" John heard her voice crack with emotion. "Not my children!"

But Bates began once again to pull the trigger. "Bates stop," John yelled. "That's an order." He was aiming directly for Tagan and wasn't stopping. Just as the gun should have released a round, a red flash shot between John and Sergeant Bates, hitting Tagan directly in the back. A second one immediately followed and hit Abrianna in her back. Both children hit the ground hard, within only a few feet of the gate. Just then the gate shut off.

Bates and Ford walked up to the children, both pointing their guns at the unmoving figures. John rapidly turned around to see Ronon almost directly behind him, holding his gun that was fortunately set on stun.

"I overheard your radio conversation and figured you might need some help." Ronon said in the way of an explanation.

Teyla stood off to the side balancing with most of her weight on one leg. She was in shock. John could tell by the look on her face.

"What the hell Bates?" John screamed. "I ordered you to stop."

"Sorry sir, but I am in charge of security and they were a security threat. I had to take them out."

"You sure as hell didn't have to Sergeant. I ordered you not to."

"I'm sorry sir, but I believe that you let your emotions…"

John had heard enough. "Bates, you almost shot my kids!"

John could hear his voice echo in the gate room. Everyone had fallen silent at his last remark. Some people were openly staring at him in confusion. Others were looking away and trying to pretend they had heard nothing.

Then from somewhere behind him, John heard. "What?" He turned to look and saw that it was Rodney who was talking. _Big surprise there_. "I thought those were Teyla's kids."

John was saved from replying when Dr. Beckett came rushing in with a few other medics. John didn't know who had called them, but he was glad they were there.

John was about to walk over to the kids, but Carson told him not to. Ford was telling Dr. Beckett all that had transpired while he checked the vital signs of both children. John couldn't even bring himself to look at the children lying on the floor. They looked so helpless and John wanted nothing more than to be able to make everything better. Unfortunately he couldn't.

John sighed and walked over to Teyla, knowing that there was nothing that he could do to help his kids right now. Teyla was leaning on Ronon and tears were streaming down her face for the second time that day.

John wanted so desperately to comfort her, but he didn't know how. Nothing that he could say could possibly make the situation better. Their children had been possessed by the wraith and who knew what would happen when they woke up.

Before John could think of anything to say to Teyla, Carson walked over to them. Teyla roughly wiped her eyes and asked, "What's going to happen to them?"

Carson sighed. "To be honest Teyla, I don't know. Physically they seem fine, but I have no idea what will happen to them when they wake up. I've given them both a sedative so that they won't be waking up for awhile. I just don't think that we want to risk them waking up while still being possessed by the wraith. I'll have to talk to Elizabeth before I can do anything else."

Teyla nodded. Carson gently squeezed her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look. He then went off to the infirmary with the children who were being carried on stretchers. Teyla watched until they were far out of sight. She then turned to look at John. She was no longer crying, but she looked emotionally and physically exhausted.

"John," she whispered. He could tell that she didn't know what else to say. There just weren't words for a situation like this.

John stepped closer to Teyla and enveloped her in another hug. She clung onto him and buried her face in his shoulder. John rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. He hoped that no matter what happened they would be able to make it through together.

**A/N: Well, there it was, chapter 6. I hope that you liked it. Also, just letting you know, it may be awhile until the next update. I'm starting University in less than a week and I'm not sure when I'll find time to work on the story. But don't worry, I will find time, I'm just not sure when.**

**And if anyone is interested, I have written a short Battlestar Galactica fic. So, if you want, check it out.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you guys are the best:) And if anyone has suggestions or ideas for where I should take this story now, I would love to hear them. I knew exactly how I wanted things to go up until about this point, and now I need to figure out what direction I should take the story in. So please, any ideas are really helpful.**

**PentagonMerlin: **It will in the end. :)

**CharmedAli: **I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hopefully you liked this one too.

**OMGirl: **Thanks so much. And you'll get to see another scene with the whole gang.

**Cpt. Ritter: **I'm glad that you liked the ending. I found it really fun to write.

**Yrica: **Thanks so much for the compliments. And I'm not quite sure what you meant about writing two words as one. Hopefully this chapter was easier to read though.

**jordayna: **Thanks, it's always good to see new reviewers.

**alliefreelancer: **Thank you once again for your inspiring comments. As for the McKay/Teyla talk…we'll see. :)

**Devine27: **Glad you enjoyed!

**crookedpen: **I'm not sure how long it'll be until we see the kids again, but most likely not too soon. Hope you enjoyed anyways!

**Kym:** Thanks, I was rather happy with the ending too.

**kippling croft: **Thank you for the compliment. I didn't really want it to turn into a screaming match. I think that it would have just ruined it. After all they do love really care about each other still.

**gatermage: **Thanks for all of the reviews. And no I didn't take a course on how to torture readers. Lol.

**deal4321: **I'm glad you liked it!

**zerogravityboy1: **It's always good to see new readers who like my story.


	8. Chapter 7: Aftershock

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long delay. I've just been really busy with starting University and work. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to get out, but I'm not making any promises. So without any further delay, here's chapter 7. Enjoy!**

Previously:

"_John," she whispered. He could tell that she didn't know what else to say. There just weren't words for a situation like this._

_John stepped closer to Teyla and enveloped her in another hug. She clung onto him and buried her face in his shoulder. John rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. He hoped that no matter what happened they would be able to make it through together._

Chapter 7 – Aftershock

John sighed and rested his head in his hands. He was being conflicted with so many different emotions that he didn't know what to do. Today had to have been both one of the best and one of the worst days of his life.

After five years he and Teyla had finally sorted things out, or at least to some extent. Then, only minutes after reconciling with her, John's two children had been possessed by the wraith. One minute John had been happy and content, and the next he was scared and feeling the worst he had in a long time.

Now John was in the infirmary. He hadn't left Tagan and Abrianna's side since the attack. John knew that they wouldn't be waking up, because of the sedative they had been given, but at the same time he felt like he would be betraying them if he left. Realistically John knew that there was nothing he could do to help either of his kids, but he wanted to be there with them anyways.

John raised his head and looked at the children. They both looked so calm and peaceful lying there on the infirmary beds. In fact, they almost looked like they were simply sleeping, except for the fact that they had both been placed under heavy restraints. It hurt John to see his kids like that, but there had been no other option.

When Dr. Weir had heard of what had happened she had immediately ordered Carson to place the children in the infirmary under restraints and to keep them sedated until otherwise specified. Elizabeth had also assigned two guards to watch the twins at all times.

The two men were currently standing just outside of the infirmary door. John had ordered them to wait out there so that he could be alone with Tagan and Abrianna. In some ways John thought that the precautionary measures Elizabeth had put into place were a little extreme. But then, this was the wraith they were dealing with, and the precautions were also the best protection for the twins considering the situation.

For a few moments John simply stared at his children, silently admiring them. It was still difficult to grasp the concept that they were his kids, yet at the same time he found himself unconsciously planning things that he would do with them in the future. If, they got better that is. _No, when they get better._ John thought to himself.

"They have to get better." He whispered softly. "They are going to be fine." John spoke with resolution trying to convince himself that this was true.

John's heart clenched at the thought that the twins might not be all right. He didn't know what he would do if that were the case. Even though Tagan and Abrianna had been in his life for less than a day he knew that he loved them. He knew that if they were to be seriously hurt or even die because of the repercussions of the wraith's actions he would be heartbroken.

John felt a single hot tear trace a path down his cheek. There were only a few times in a man's life when he was allowed to cry, and John deemed this to be one of those times.

John buried his face in his hands again. He began to sob quietly as the hopelessness of the situation overwhelmed him.

* * *

Teyla looked out of her room window and stared at the rough water below. The sky was dark, and a storm was on its way. It was ironic how the weather outside seemed to fit perfectly with the horrible events of the day.

Teyla leaned her forehead against the windowpane and closed her eyes. She abruptly opened them when the awful image of Tagan and Abrianna sprawled on the ground in front of the Stargate surfaced in her minds eye. It seemed that every time Teyla closed her eyes she was assaulted with the horrible images of the events of the afternoon.

Teyla sighed knowing that she would not be getting any sleep tonight even though she was completely exhausted. After everything that had happened today Teyla was not surprised that this was the case.

She had had to retell the events of the wraith attack on her village, and then she had a very long talk with Dr. Weir about John and the kids. Immediately after that John and her had a very emotional discussion and only moments after that Teyla's children had been possessed by the wraith and shot by one of her best friends. When you had that kind of a day you were bound to be exhausted at the end of it.

Teyla had gone through so much that at this point she had surpassed the point of feeling. She was numb to all emotions. It was like she was in a haze. Teyla knew that she should be devastated and probably crying, or at least showing some kind of emotion, but she just couldn't. She was just so tired.

Someone knocking softly on her door interrupted Teyla's thoughts.

"Come in." Teyla said keeping her voice free of any emotion.

When Teyla heard the door to her room slide open she turned around. Teyla was surprised when she saw that her visitor was Rodney. Teyla didn't know who she had been expecting to see, but it hadn't been Rodney.

"Rodney." Teyla said evenly.

"Teyla," he began. "Do you mind?" Rodney indicated with his hand that he wanted to come in.

"Please." She said quietly.

Once Rodney had stepped through the door it closed behind him. For a few seconds he merely stared at Teyla and she stared back at him. Rodney shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He appeared to be quite uncomfortable.

"Was there something that you needed Rodney?" Teyla asked quietly. She was leaning with her back against the window and looking at Rodney.

Rodney started. It was as if Teyla's voice had interrupted him from his thoughts. When he looked up to meet her eyes Teyla was surprised to see sympathy and compassion in them. It was not that she thought Rodney was cold hearted, she just hadn't expected to see such blatantly caring emotions written across his face.

"Please sit down Rodney." Teyla said pointing to the small table that was situated only a few feet from the window. "I will make us some tea."

As Teyla busied herself with preparing the tea Rodney sat down at the table. It only took a few minutes for Teyla to boil the water and steep the tea. She carefully carried over the two steaming mugs of tea to the table. She placed one in front of Rodney and the other in front of the second chair. Teyla sat down across from Rodney and began to blow on hertea. It was still much too warm to drink so Teyla wrapped her hands around the mug instead. She then looked across the table at Rodney.

He seemed to have been waiting for her to do just that because he suddenly spoke. "Teyla," he began quietly. "I just wanted you to know that…well, I guess there's a few things that I wanted you to know."

Teyla looked at him questioningly. Rodney cleared his throat before continuing. "Well first I just wanted to say that it's good to have you back. Secondly, I'm very sorry about what happened to your kids."

When Teyla didn't respond to either of Rodney's comments he started speaking again. "And Teyla…if there is anything that I can do to help, please let me know."

Teyla felt tears spring to her eyes. She still couldn't believe how loyal her friends were. She had been expecting them all to be mad because of her sudden departure five years ago. But instead, they had all welcomed her back with open arms. It was in that moment that Teyla truly realized how lucky she was to have the friends that she did, and how much she had given up when she left Atlantis.

"Thank you." Teyla whispered as she dropped her gaze from Rodney's face down to the still steaming mug on the table in front of her. Teyla squeezed her eyes shut willing her tears to go away.

Amazingly enough it seemed to have worked and within a few moments Teyla had regained her composure. When she looked back at Rodney she noticed that he appeared to be uncomfortable. _Well,_ she thought, _I suppose some things will never change._ No matter what happened, Rodney would never feel comfortable dealing with any kind of emotional situation.

Deciding to break the awkward silence, Teyla said. "There is actually one thing that you could do for me Rodney."

"Anything." He replied.

"Tell me what happened while I was away."

"Everything?" Rodney asked. "But you were gone for five years Teyla and that's a lot to tell."

When Teyla laughed at his comment Rodney was surprised. In fact Teyla was surprised by her actions too. "No, not everything. Only the really important things."

"Oh. Sure." Said Rodney. He then launched into a lengthy description of all the major events that had occurred in the past five years. Although most of them tended to be about some form of scientific discovery or another, Teyla stillfound herself enjoying Rodney's story immensely. For a little while at least she had pleasant thoughts to occupy her mind.

After what Teyla figured was probably an hour Rodney concluded his 'short' summary of everything that had occurred on Atlantis for the past five years. There had surprisingly been no major catastrophes. Well, maybe it wasn't so surprising seeing as how the wraith had been absent for that period of time.

After Rodney had finished he and Teyla sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually Teyla spoke. "Thank you Rodney."

"Oh," he said. "For that? No problem." Rodney then began to fiddle with his empty mug. Teyla could by the way that he was acting that Rodney wanted to say something.

Sure enough, he did. "Where did you go?" The question was abrupt but Teyla had been expecting it. Rodney was a curious man by nature and wanted toknow everything.

"I went to a planet that my people know as Atria." Teyla stood up, but continued to speak. "The Atrians are a people very similar to the Athosians, that is why Atlantis does not trade with them. The only items that they have for trade are ones that they could already get from the Athosians."

"So you just went to live with these people?" Rodney asked sounding slightly skeptical.

"Yes." Teyla replied as she gathered the two empty mugs and went to put them away.

"So you were happy there." Rodney stated, although he phrased his words to seem almost like a question.

Teyla sighed. "No, not truly." She didn't want to admit this, but at the same time she could not stand to lie to her friend.

"Then why didn't you come back?"

Teyla then turned to face Rodney again. "You are a smart man Rodney, I believe that you can figure it out."

"The kids." He stated, obviously knowing that that was the answer. "Just tell me one thing Teyla, did John know why you were leaving?"

"He knows why I left." Teyla spoke as calmly as possible.

"But did he know _when_ you left?"

Teyla didn't respond, she knew that she didn't have to. Rodney was indeed smart enough to figure this out on his own, and he most likely already had.

"I'm sorry Teyla," Rodney said apologetically. "That was uncalled for."

She nodded, indicating her acceptance of his apology. "Do not worry about it."

"Look Teyla, there's just one other thing that I think I should tell you before I leave." Rodney paused for a moment before continuing. "For the entire time that you were gone, for all five years, I know that John missed you. He never said anything directly but you could just tell. Every time that we stepped through that gate, or flew through itfor that matter, you could tell that John was hoping that he would find you on the other side.

"I know that it probably doesn't mean a lot coming from me, but John really cares about you Teyla. Ever since you left he just hasn't been the same John that we were used to. I think that you should talk to him, and try to sort things out."

Teyla opened her mouth to respond but Rodney started to talk first. "I know that I'm probably shouldn't be giving you advice about this, but that's just what I think you should do."

Teyla smiled. "Thank you Rodney." When she spoke her voice was full of sincerity. "I appreciate the advice, but I've already worked things out with John."

"You what?" Rodney asked, sounding shocked. "Well in that case, how about you forget what I just said."

Teyla merelyraised an eyebrowat Rodney's request. As Rodney turned to leave he said one last thing. "If you're looking for John…he's in the infirmary. Or at least he was that last time I saw him."

Rodney then quickly exited the room leaving Teyla alone with her thoughts. Teyla hadn't been planning on going to find John, but after Rodney mentioned it Teyla felt that she should.

Knowing John, he was probably thinking of some way to blame himself for the events of the day, even though there was no possible way that they could have been his fault. As soon as Teyla began to think of Tagan and Abrianna again, the happiness that she had just been feeling suddenly left her. It was replaced by a deep sense of hopelessness.

Apparently you could momentarily forget about your problems, but in the end they wouldn't just disappear, no matter how much you wanted them to. Teyla may have been feeling hopeless, but she knew of one person that could lessen that feeling even if that person happened to be feeling the same way.

Teyla turned off the lights in her quarters as she headed out the door.

* * *

John jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped his head around to see who was there. It was Teyla.

She didn't say anything. She merely pulled up a chair beside his and sat down. She then surprised John by reaching over and taking his right hand in her left. As their fingers intertwined John suddenly felt a little better. Somehow knowing that Teyla was there beside him made the whole situation seem that much more bearable.

**A/N: And there is chapter 7! I seriously hope that you all enjoyed this, it turned out better than I thought it would. As for chapter 8, I'm aiming to get it posted by next weekend, so keep your fingers crossed. But in the end it all depends on how much homework I have.**

**Also thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. It has been those reviews that kept me from giving up on this story.**

**deal4321: **As you can probably tell, John and Teyla are both worried sick. I almost feel bad for putting the kids in that situation, but then it does serve the purpose of the story…:)

**gatermage: **Thanks a bunch!

**jordayna: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the twist.

**OMGirl: **Thank you so much! On the edge of your seat eh? Glad I could do that. :)

**alliefreelancer:** Thank you so, so, so much! Your reviews are seriously what inspire me to keep writing this story. And I'm glad that you liked the little twist to the story, hopefully I'll be able to add a few more before it's finished. Also I used your idea about the conversation between Teyla and Rodney. I'm not sure if that was what you were getting at, but thank you for suggesting it.

**Cpt. Ritter**: I'm glad that I've gotten you hooked, and thanks for the inspirational words:)

**CharmedAli:** Thanks, I hope that you liked this chapter too. :)

**Strawberry Cupcake:** Sorry for the long delay, it shouldn't be as long of a wait for chapter 8.

**Pentagon Merlin**: Thanks for the idea. I was already kind of leaning in that direction so I'm glad that I know at least one person will be pleased if that's the direction I decide to take this story in.

**Kym**: Thanks once again!

**zerogravityboy1**: Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas. I'm not sure which I'll use, but I'm bound to use at least one. :)

**Gater101**: Thank you so much! It's always good to hear that people are enjoying my story. And thanks for letting me know about the jumbled words, if you hadn't have mentioned it I probably never would have noticed. Anyways, I hope that you liked this chapter too:)

**renisanz:** I'm glad that I'm being unpredictable enough for you. Hopefully I'll manage to squeeze in a few more plot twists before this story comes to an end.


	9. Chapter 8: Goaded Into Action

**A/N: Hello all! I'm very sorry for the wait. I know that it sounds like an excuse, but I have a lot of homework, and a job so it's rather hard to find time to write. But I am not giving up on this story so don't worry. The updates may not be that often, but I do get the chapters posted as soon as I can.**

**Also I haven't seen episodes 209 and 210 so I'm not sure if that will be important to this, but it's just a warning.**

**Once again, I'm sorry. And, without further delay, I present to you Chapter 8. I hope that you enjoy. (And please review.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its components.**

Previously:

_John jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped his head around to see who was there. It was Teyla._

_She didn't say anything. She merely pulled up a chair beside his and sat down. She then surprised John by reaching over and taking his right hand in her left. As their fingers intertwined John suddenly felt a little better. Somehow knowing that Teyla was there beside him made the whole situation seem that much more bearable._

Chapter 8 – Goaded Into Action

The next morning John found himself sitting with Teyla at a table in the mess hall. They were eating breakfast, although John didn't feel at all hungry. They had only been sitting there for a few minutes before Rodney walked in, followed by Ronon and Ford.

Once the men had gotten their food, they made their way over to the table that John and Teyla were sitting at. John was sitting next to Teyla, and it didn't go unnoticed that Ronon chose to sit on the other side of Teyla.

She gave him a weak smile, before staring at her food again. It had been a rough night. Neither Teyla nor John had gotten much sleep. They had sat up in the infirmary for the majority of it.

When John glanced at Ronon he noticed that he was glaring at him. _Well if he wants to play the 'I blame John for making Teyla leave' game, let him._ John was in no mood to deal with that right now. Pretending that he did not notice John turned his attention back to his food.

When he looked at the pile of eggs in front of him, he realized that he hadn't eaten them. Instead he had merely moved them around on his plate until they looked like a big pile of mush. Setting his fork down on top of the plate, John pushed it away from him and rested his forehead on the table.

For a long time the only thing that John was aware of was the light chatter of voices in the background, and the scraping of cutlery on plates. Two days ago, John had been sitting at this very table eating and joking around with Rodney. It seemed like two decades ago. It was hard to believe that so much had happened in that short period of time.

John, who still had his forehead resting on the table, heard someone cough quietly. _Probably Ford._

"Um…sir?"

_Yep, definitely Ford._ "Yes Lieutenant." Was John's muffled reply.

"Sir, pardon my asking, but what are we going to do about the wraith?" Ford's voice was quiet and almost apologetic.

John lifted his head wearily from the table. "Truthfully Lieutenant, I have no idea." John heard Teyla sigh as he said this. "I wish I had an answer, but I don't."

Ford nodded his head once in understanding. "But we are going to do something about it. Right?"

This time it wasn't John who answered. "Of course we will." Ronon said in his deep voice. "We're not just going to take this lying down."

John almost smiled when Ronon used the Earth expression. Almost.

"You're going to talk to Weir, right Sheppard?"

John could hear the underlying challenge in Ronon's voice. "Of course I am." John replied, his voice bordering on anger. How could Ronon just think that he would, as he so nicely put it, take it lying down. Those were his kids that were lying in the infirmary and he was going to do everything in his power to help them, and he was going to do more than that. He was going to make sure that the wraith were destroyed once and for all. Then there was no chance that this could ever happen again.

"Excuse me." John said roughly, as he got up and pushed his chair into the table. "I am going to talk to Weir." And with that John walked defiantly through the mess hall doors to go find Elizabeth.

* * *

Teyla was shocked by John's sudden departure, and Ronon's goading that had caused it. It seemed that Rodney and Aiden were shocked too. She knew that Ronon was mad at John for what he had done, but he had no right to antagonize him at a time like this.

Before Teyla could begin to reprimand Ronon for his horrible behavior, he spoke. "Sorry Teyla, but someone had to motivate him."

Teyla's eyes widened it shock. "What do you mean?"

"He's different now Teyla." Ronon began. "He's not the same Sheppard that you remember. The old Sheppard would have already made some insane plan to save the galaxy and would have been half way through carrying it out by now."

Teyla know that Ronon was right. "If someone didn't say something, then he would have been sitting around here all depressed, and that's not what we need. We need him to be focused on destroying the wraith."

Teyla realized that what Ronon was saying was in fact very true. The John Sheppard that she remembered wouldn't have been found sulking at the breakfast table. For some reason that scared Teyla. If John had really changed, then was there anything that she could truly count on? He had been the one constant thing in her life, even when she was on Atria.

But then Teyla remembered back to the time she had spent with John since her return. During those times he had seemed exactly like the John she remembered. Maybe the old John was still there, but he was just buried beneath the surface. At least Teyla could hope that was the case. If her kids were to have a good chance of surviving this ordeal, they needed to have the old John back.

* * *

John found himself pounding on the door to Elizabeth's office only a few minutes after he left the mess hall. He had his fist raised and was about to knock again, when he heard Elizabeth's voice from inside. "Come in."

John quickly activated the door and stepped into Elizabeth's office. From the looks of things she was in the middle of doing paperwork. It seemed rather stupid really, all this technology yet they still had to do paperwork.

"John." Elizabeth said in the way of a greeting.

"Look," John said, "I'm going to get straight to the point."

"Alright." Elizabeth said. She seemed to be surprised by the forcefulness of his words.

"We need a plan." John stated.

"A plan for what John?" Elizabeth asked, keeping her voice calm.

"What do you think?" John asked sarcastically. "A plan for defeating the wraith."

"John…"

"Elizabeth…" he replied as he placed his hands on her desk and leaned over her. "The wraith are back. They are coming for us Elizabeth. We are not going to take this lying down." By this time John was quite worked up and he didn't even realize that he had used the exact same phrase as Ronon. He had even begun to pace.

"Of course we aren't." Elizabeth said as she stood up, though she still remained behind her desk. "But I do think that we need some sort of strategy here John. If you happen to have one, then by all means please enlighten me."

When John remained silent, Elizabeth continued. "I know that you want to be doing something John, but I don't know what we can do until we get some more information about the wraith. They might not even be coming for us."

John raised his eyebrows at Elizabeth's last comment. She sighed. "Alright, that may be a bit of a stretch. There is a very good chance that they are coming to attack us."

"Probably to get revenge." John said.

"That would be logical." Elizabeth stated. When John didn't reply, Elizabeth quietly sat back down. "John, you are right about us needing a plan, but I just don't know what we can do given how little information we have."

"We get more information." John said bluntly.

"From where John?" Elizabeth questioned. "Atria is the only place that we know the wraith have been to since their return. And it sounds as if we are lucky to know even that much." Elizabeth sighed. "John we have no way to find out more information. We've been scanning the deep space radar, and even that is yielding no results."

John nodded his head, acknowledging all of what Elizabeth had just said. "But there has to be _something_ that we can be doing." When Elizabeth sighed again John continued. "We defeated them last time Elizabeth. And we can defeat them again."

"John, you must understand that last time the circumstances were completely different. The wraith didn't know what was happening to them. We would take out a few ships at a time, leaving no survivors to tell the others what was happening. The wraith were scattered around the galaxy in little isolated clusters, and it was, dare I say, easy enough to take out each cluster at a time. But now it seems that the few wraith we didn't kill escaped, only to return again in far greater numbers.

"Truthfully John, we were in a far better tactical position last time and I don't think that I need to be telling you that. I wish I knew how we could acquire some more intel on the situation, but quite frankly I don't."

John sighed and sat down in a chair across the desk from Elizabeth. She was one hundred percent right. They needed more information but had nowhere to get it. John was just about ready to admit defeat and head to his room when a he heard a little nagging voice in the back of his head. Surprisingly it sounded like Ronon. 'Give up now? Come on Sheppard, we aren't going to take this lying down.' It was that little voice that instigated his next actions.

John abruptly stood up and once again leaned over Elizabeth's desk. "We are going to find more information about the wraith Elizabeth. We have to." Elizabeth wasn't as shocked at John's outburst as he had expected her to be. "If we don't find out more about the wraith then we will get hit, and we will get hit hard." John spoke with assertion.

"The wraith will attack us and we won't know when or how bad it'll be, but you can guarantee that the attack will come. If we want any chance of being ready we need to get more information and get it soon. If we don't…" John faltered. _If we don't then there may be no way to help my kids._ John didn't say this out loud, but it was the thought that was running through his mind.

"If we don't," John repeated. "Then we will find ourselves in one hell of a situation. And keep in mind, that we only have one ZPM right now and it is already partially depleted."

Elizabeth nodded, clearly accepting the truth in John's words.

"If Atria is the only clue we have, then that is where we will have to start looking for other clues." John paused for a moment before continuing. "Let me take my team to Atria to look for more information. That at least gives us a place to start."

"Alright," Elizabeth said calmly. "You have a go, but only on one condition."

"Name it."

"Let Teyla rejoin your team John. This situation must be extremely hard on her and I think it'll be best for us all if she can be busy doing something productive."

"Actually Elizabeth," John said. "I was already planning on it."

"You were?"

"Well," he began. "With your permission of course. We actually talked about it last night."

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly with shock. John wasn't sure if she was shocked about the fact that Teylawanted to rejoin his team, or about the fact they had talked. John assumed that it was the latter reason.

"Alright then. Have you and your team ready to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Why not today?" John asked heatedly.

"Because Teyla still needs to let her ankle heal a bit more, and I think that by tomorrow it should be in sufficient condition."

John felt a little ashamed. He had completely forgotten about Teyla's injuries in light of more recent events. She was no longer using her crutches, but she did still have a slight limp.

Elizabeth's voice brought John's thoughts back to his present situation. "So see that you are ready to depart at 0800 Atlantis standard time tomorrow."

John nodded.

"Now I suggest that you go inform the rest of your team about what is going on, and then get some rest. You don't look like you slept at all last night."

John turned and headed for the door, but just before he opened it he heard Elizabeth's voice from behind him. "John, I want you to know that I'm sorry about what happened to the twins. And I promise you that I have everyone available working on a way to revive them without letting the wraith take control over their bodies again."

"Thank you." John said quietly, very quietly in fact. But he knew that Elizabeth had heard him.

John exited Elizabeth's office to go find Teyla and the rest of his team. Considering the current situation John was doing everything that he could, and that made him feel the tiniest bit better. As mad as John had been at Ronon for making his biting comments, he was glad that he had done so. John now realized what Ronon had been trying to do. And he was glad that it had worked.

**A/N: And there it is. I hope that you enjoyed this. I realize that it lacked a little bit in the plot department, but it is serving as more of a transition chapter. I'm not really sure yet whether I liked this chapter or not, but please let me know what you thought. Good or bad, I would like to know. Thanks for reading!**

**Note to all reviewers: Thank you so much for reviewing, you guys are what is keeping me motivated to write this fic.**

**Kym**: Thank you for the encouraging words.

**Gater101:** I'm glad you liked the scene with Rodney. It was actually alliefreelancer's idea and I'm glad that I could incorporate it into my fic.

**Cpt. Ritter:** Thank you so much. I'm trying very hard to keep the inspiration up. :)

**jordayna**: Wow. That is probably the best compliment that an author can get, so thank you so, so much.

**Strawberry Cupcake:** I hope that the kids will be ok too. So far I don't have any more horrible things planned for them, but you never know… Lol.

**Yrica:** That is one of the best compliments I have ever received. You really helped to inspire me to write this chapter.

**OMGirl:** I'm glad that you liked it. :)

**camy:** Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your kind words mean a lot, and they really help to inspire me.

**CharmedAli:** They should…Lol.

**kippling croft**: Sorry for the delay.

**alliefreelancer:** Once again, thank you so much. Your reviews always mean so much to me. I'm very glad that you liked the crying scene. I wasn't sure about it at first, but then in the end I decided to put it in.

**Alyssa-Naberrie:** Thanks:)


	10. Chapter 9: Plans

**A/N: Wow, it has been too long since my last update. I give you all my sincerest apologies. I was all geared up and ready to write another chapter when midterm time rolled around, so needless to say, I didn't have a chance to write it. Then I planned on writing last weekend, but I ending up working for 32+ hours instead. I guess the writing gods were just against me. Lol.**

**So, I am terribly sorry about the long wait, and I hope that I haven't lost your interest. Now without any further ado, I give to you chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its components.**

Previously:

_John exited Elizabeth's office to go find Teyla and the rest of his team. Considering the current situation John was doing everything that he could, and that made him feel the tiniest bit better. As mad as John had been at Ronon for making his biting comments, he was glad that he had done so. John now realized what Ronon had been trying to do. And he was glad that it had worked._

Chapter 9 - Plans

The next day Teyla found herself sitting in the briefing room with John, Ronon, Aiden and Rodney while waiting for Dr. Weir to arrive. She supposed that she could have said that she was there with her team, but it still felt almost unrealistic that she was back on Colonel Sheppard's team. It had been so long since she had been a part of this that it felt more like she was an outsider. Not that she felt unwelcome, it was just that she had been out of the swing of things for so long, that being included on a briefing felt almost unnatural now, and in a way it was.

Teyla's two children, the loves of her life, were lying unconscious and restrained in hospital beds. Her motherly instinct was telling her to take up a seat by their side and not to leave until they got better. But practicality said that they might not get better, and sitting there with them would do them no good. Practicality said that Teyla was of much more use to her kids if she was spending her time trying to defeat the wraith, or at least gain some intelligence on them. Teyla had always considered herself to be a practical girl, so in the end it wasn't that much of a surprise when practicality won out. This placed Teyla in her current position, waiting for Dr. Weir in the briefing room.

It wasn't like the many other times that Teyla had waited in the briefing room. Those times had had a light feeling to them, even given the somewhat dire circumstances they had encountered time and time again on all their previous off world missions. This time no one was talking; they were all just sitting there, waiting restlessly for Dr. Weir. Never before had the atmosphere of the room seemed so tense to Teyla. Maybe it was just her, but Teyla found that then tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Teyla quickly glanced over at John to see how he was holding up. He had taken the events of the last few days exceptionally hard, even more than she would have expected. He was merely sitting idly in his chair staring at the wall opposite from him. Outwardly he seemed calm, but Teyla knew that he really wasn't.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Dr. Weir stepped through the door along with Sergeant Bates.

"Thank you all for waiting." Dr. Weir said. Once she was seated Dr. Weir continued. "Let's skip the preamble. You all know why we are here." Everyone in the room nodded in consent with her statement. Teyla knew that they did not need to go over the details of the attack on Atria again. Ronon, Aiden, Rodney and Sergeant Bates had already be given the sparse details of the event, so it was a waste of time to go over it all again.

"Colonel Sheppard, you and your team will be leaving in less than two hours to go visit the planet L7B – 787, otherwise known as Atria. You orders are to search the planet for any relevant data to the wraith attack. What we need is an estimate of numbers, a possible destination where they will be heading after this, if these are indeed the same wraith that escaped from this galaxy just over five years ago. It is information like that, that will help us prepare for the wraith attack if there will indeed be one."

Teyla watched as John nodded his head and said "Understood."

"Wait, hold on a second." Teyla quickly turned her gaze to Rodney who was speaking. "Are you saying that there might be a chance that these _are not_ the same wraith that left the galaxy five years ago?"

"It is a possibility." Dr. Weir said.

"So, these could be things that we're not even experienced in dealing with?" Rodney's voice had taken on almost a panic like quality. "What if these wraith are worse that the ones that were here before?"

"Well Rodney," Dr. Weir began. "That's what we intend to find out." Dr. Weir paused. "If we can that is."

"We will." Ronon said, sounding extremely confident and determined. Teyla had almost forgotten how his hate for the wraith was always strongest among the team. Though now, Teyla thought that John and her might hate them more.

"Now if there are no other comments…" Dr. Weir paused to give people a chance to speak if they wished to. When no one did, she continued. "We have another matter at hand." Dr. Weir's voice inadvertently took on a softer tone. "We need to discuss what course of action we will take in respect to Tagan and Abrianna."

Teyla and John shared a concerned and heartfelt look, unaware that everyone else was watching them. They both turned back to look at Dr. Weir when she continued.

"I just came from talking to Carson and he feels that there is about a fifty percent chance that if the children wake up they will still be controlled by the wraith." Teyla flinched involuntarily when she heard the unfavorable odds. "Carson thinks that because Tagan and Abrianna are still children, and consequently their bodies haven't matured, that this makes it easier for the wraith to control them. It also explains why one wraith was able to control both of the twins at once. Also, the twins have never encountered the wraith before so they haven't ever had the need to establish a mental block to their intrusions."

Teyla felt her breathing become shallower and her heart began to pound in fear for her children. She tried to maintain focus as Dr. Weir continued on.

"Despite the dangers of letting the children wake, we cannot afford to keep them sedated for an indefinite amount of time. Having them sedated for a few days if fine, it won't harm them in any way, but if they are to stay in that state for a very long time then there health will begin to degrade. Also, Carson hopes that by keeping the children sedated for most of yesterday and today that whatever sort of link the wraith had established has been severed, at least for the time being. He hopes that if we wake them up they will free from the wraith's influence."

Here Dr. Weir paused before taking a deep breath and continuing. "But quite frankly, these are just guesses. We have no idea what will happen when we let the children wake up, and yes we will let them wake up."

Teyla suddenly felt a little nauseous. It was a combination of both fear and hope for her children. She feared that they would still be under the wraith's influence when they wake, but she hoped that they wouldn't.

"I know that this does not concern all of you, but it is tied directly into the wraith problem that we seem to find ourselves faced with." When no one spoke, Dr. Weir continued. "I have agreed to let Carson wake the twins tomorrow, and then we'll just have to see where it goes from there."

"What happens if they are still being possessed by the wraith?" asked Rodney, who sounded uncharacteristically concerned.

"I don't know Rodney. I don't know."

* * *

John finished tying up the laces on his left boot and stood up from where he had been crouched on the floor of the control room. They were just waiting for one of the last teams to come back before they dialed out. 

John shifted from foot to foot as he waited impatiently for Major Lauren's team to return to Atlantis. They had been on some sort of trading mission when they had been recalled. John looked over at the rest of his team to see what they were doing.

Rodney was playing with some computery type thing. Aiden was leaning against a wall waiting patiently, and Ronon was talking quietly to Teyla. They were only a few feet away, but John couldn't make out what they were saying. He looked more intently at Teyla's face although he could only see the side of it from the angle at which he was standing.

He was worried about her even though she appeared to be holding up well given the circumstances. She was only favoring her one leg slightly, but no one would notice unless they were looking for it. John assumed that the wounds on her back were healing too, that was what Beckett had said after all. Yet no matter how well she seemed to be doing physically, he knew that everything was bound to take its toll on her emotionally. It sure as hell was taking it toll on him at any rate.

At least now he had something productive to be doing, and hopefully it was something that would end up helping his children.

As John continued to wait for Major Lauren's team he kept watching Teyla. He thought that he had severely screwed up any chance that he had with her five years ago, and yet here he was admiring her in a very non-platonic way. She was still the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen, both outside and inside. And now that she was here, quite literally within reach, he wanted her more than he thought was possible.

John's thoughts strayed back to the talk that they had only two days ago. She had never actually said it, but she had implied that there was a chance for something more between the two of them. They had connected in a way that John had never experienced before and he wanted to feel that connection again. But then John's thoughts strayed back to his kids and he suddenly felt disgusted with himself for being so selfish when they were in such a horrible situation.

Before John could dwell on these thoughts for much longer the stargate activated and Major Lauren's team returned. _Well, _John thought. _I guess I'll just have to figure out all of this later, because I've got work to do._

"Sergeant, dial the gate." John told the man at the DHD panel. John then turned to look at the members of his team and said, "Let's head out."

They made their way down the steps to the gate room, and waited only a few seconds for the coordinates to lock and the wormhole to establish. They had sent a MALP through earlier and there was no signs of wraith activity on Atria, so they could through knowing that they weren't about to get shot down.

Ronon still chose to be cautious and went through the gate first with his gun raised before him. Aiden followed suit, and Rodney went a few seconds after him.

John looked over at Teyla. "Ladies first." When Teyla stepped through the gate John was only a few feet behind.

**A/N: Ok, I realize that this was not the most exciting chapter, but it was needed. It was kind of just for housekeeping purposes, so that I could get everything organized and set the background for the upcoming chapters.**

**The good news is that I do have the next two chapters planned; I just need to write them. Hopefully I will have one posted by Monday, because I have all weekend off of work. But I'm not promising because I also have a midterm on Monday.**

**Also, I would like to say thank you to all my reviewers. Without you guys I would have given up on this story long ago.**

**Cpt. Ritter: **Yes, I'm hoping to make the switch to a bit more action, though hopefully I'll be able to keep tying in snippets of romance here and there. And it makes me both happy and sad that your life depends on finding out what happens next. Happy because I'm glad you like my story so much, and sad because I feel bad for not updating often enough.

**Oenone: **I'm glad that you like the change in John. And I definitely understand what you mean about the characters changing, it just has to happen.

**camy: **Wow, thank you so much! Your review really helped to inspire me for this chapter. I hope it met you expectations.

**Trickster's Queen of War: **Thank you. :)

**OMGirl:** Thank you. :)

**alliefreelancer: **Your wish for more moments between John and the twins may just come true. I have something planned, although I doubt it is what you're expecting, but hopefully you like it anyways. As for the Sheyla moments, I'm going to try to keep fitting them in here and there, but the next few chapters will most likely be more action than romance. But you never know, I could change my mind. Lol. And thank you so much for all your encouraging reviews. You have no idea how much they help.

**CharmedAli: **Thanks. :)

**Only Memories: **Thank you so much. I'm glad that I am being inspiring. :)

**Breanna: **Thank you, and sorry for the long delay.

**Kym: **Thanks, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter too.

**Note: Sorry for any spelling or grammer mistakes, I posted this as soon as I got it finished, and I only briefly edited it.**


	11. Chapter 10: No Such Luck

**A/N: Yeah! I got this update done sooner than the last one, although it still was as soon as I would have liked. So sorry for the wait, and I hope that you enjoy!**

**By the way, I dedicate this chapter to both alliefreelancer and camy. You guys both inspired me so much, and are basically the reason why I haven't given up on this fic.**

**Now onto the story!**

Previously:

_They made their way down the steps to the gate room, and waited only a few seconds for the coordinates to lock and the wormhole to establish. They had sent a MALP through earlier and there was no signs of wraith activity on Atria, so they could through knowing that they weren't about to get shot down._

_Ronon still chose to be cautious and went through the gate first with his gun raised before him. Aiden followed suit, and Rodney went a few seconds after him._

_John looked over at Teyla. "Ladies first." When Teyla stepped through the gate John was only a few feet behind._

Chapter 10

It was a good thing that Teyla did not stop moving when she exited the stargate and stepped onto Atrian soil. John came through the gate directly behind her and would have hit her, had she remained stationary. Teyla saw both Aiden and Ronon with their guns raised eyes scanning their perimeter warily. It took a second for her to react, but Teyla picked up her gun too, from where it hung on the strap of her vest, and held it poised in front of her. She had a feeling that John was doing the same thing behind her.

A few seconds later Teyla heard the wormhole disengage, but she didn't bother to turn around and see it. She was still to busy scanning the perimeter for any signs of the wraith. It was rather ironic actually that the wraith had culled this planet only days ago, yet there was no sign of their presence. It appeared to Teyla like this was just another normal evening on Atria, but appearances were known to be deceiving.

Teyla took a few hesitant steps towards where Ronon and Aiden were standing ahead of her. "I do not see any signs of the wraith."

"Neither do I," said Ronon as he set his gun back to stun and holstered it.

Teyla noticed that Aiden released his P-90 and let it hang off of the strap on his vest. Rodney did not have his gun out, but he was looking around at the surrounding tree line frantically.

"Relax Rodney," came John's voice from behind Teyla. "The wraith are gone."

"Well," Rodney said. "One can never be too sure."

Teyla had to restrain herself from laughing when she saw Ronon and Aiden's reactions to Rodney comment. They both looked at each other and rolled their eyes simultaneously. Teyla was glad to see that they had become friends.

"What?" Rodney asked. "Why is everyone being so quiet? It's really disconcerting." All eyes turned to look at Rodney.

"Well it is," he said, sounding exasperated. "So where's this village anyways?" Rodney asked as he turned to face away the opposite way from the DHD. "This way right?" He started to head away from the Stargate.

Everyone else started to walk in the other direction, the _correct_ way, leaving Rodney still walking away from them all by himself. He only noticed that he was on his own little excursion when John shouted at him that the village was in fact _this way_.

Teyla thought she could probably tell what John was thinking just by the look on his face. It was probably something along the lines of, _and he's the smartest person in Atlantis?_

Almost laughing out loud at the situation, Teyla realized how much she had missed this. Though unfortunately she did not have time to reminisce, they had a job to do, and Teyla wanted to be giving it her full attention.

Teyla followed behind Aiden as he entered into the forest. Ronon was a few steps ahead of him, and that left Rodney and John behind them. It was evening on Atria so the forest was dimly lit. Some sunlight filtered through the trees lighting the narrow walking trail that they were on, and giving it a sort of eerie glow.

Teyla shuddered involuntarily as she got a few feet further into the forest. All of the happiness that she had been feeling only moments before was being replaced by a sense of uneasiness as she walked further and further into the forest. There was so much riding on this mission, and the pressure was becoming overwhelming.

* * *

John watched as Teyla shuddered. He hoped that she was all right. He knew it would be tough for her to come back here, to the scene of the crime so to say. But Teyla was tough, more so now than ever before, and John knew that she would be fine.

John kept his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, hoping to see…well, anything. Unfortunately though, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, not that he would now what ordinary was for Atria, but still. There werenormal evening sounds present, the ones associated with a forest. If John strained his hearing enough he could make out the sound of insects amongst the soft tread of his team's feet on the walking path.

After about fifteen minutes John noticed that the trees had begun to thin out quite drastically. He could now make out the shadowy outlines of buildings from the village. A few minutes more and they had left the cover of the trees and entered into the outskirts of the village.

By all accounts the village looked fine. If John didn't know any better he would just think that the people in the village had just all retired for the night. But if you looked closely you would notice that there were no lights on inside any of the buildings.

"All right," John said. "McKay, Ronon you guys head that way." He pointed towards to his left. "Teyla and Ford you're with me."

They split off into the two groups and began to search the area for any evidence of wraith attack. It wasn't long before Ford whispered quietly, "How come there's no people here?"

It was Teyla that answered. "I have reason to believe that the wraith took all of the people." Ford looked at her questioningly. "At least one hiveship jumped into orbit around the planet. When the wraith attacked there were many darts, many more than I have ever seen attack one planet before." Teyla paused. "I can only assume that their goal was to capture everyone that was here."

Ford nodded, probably not knowing what to say.

Ford, Teyla and John checked inside a few random buildings looking for any clues of the wraith, but they saw none. There were no signs of a fight anywhere, no dead bodies, nothing. John figured that Teyla must be right about the wraith wanting to take everyone alive.

"All right," John began. "Teyla you know where everything is around here. Any idea where there might be some signs of the wraith?"

John watched as Teyla shook her head and said, "No, I can think of no place where there would be any signs." She paused for a second to look around at her dim surroundings. "I hate to say this, but I do not think that we will find anything here."

"Damn it!" John cried out, causing Teyla to jump in surprise. "There has to be _something_." John knew that his voice sounded desperate, but he didn't care.

Teyla took a few hesitant steps towards John before calmly laying her hand on his arm. "I am sorry John, but I do not think that there is anything to be found here. Though we may look around some more just to be sure." The evident sympathy in her voice was too much.

John rapidly turned away from his two companions as tears began to well up in his eyes. _Why can't we just find what we need?

* * *

_

Teyla thought that she might have felt her heart break as she noticed the tears in John's eyes immediately before he turned his back to her and Aiden. She wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't sure how, and she wasn't sure where things stood between the two of them. They had been on their way to figuring it out when the wraith attacked the kids and they really hadn't talked since. Teyla sighed.

Then she heard Ronon's voice come over the radio, "Sheppard?"

Teyla heard John inhale shakily before holding his hand up to the radio to press the talk button. "Sheppard here."

"Find anything?"

John paused a second before replying. "No, not yet. You?"

"Nah," said Ronon. "Just looks like everyone left in a hurry. We haven't seen any signs of the wraith. If Teyla hadn't have told us what happened you'd never even know that they were here."

John held down the button on his radio and replied. "Alright, we'll keep looking for a little while longer and if we still can't find anything we'll head back to Atlantis. Sheppard out."

Teyla thought that John did a good job of keeping his voice steady and neutral. No one would have noticed the slight tremor unless they were looking for it.

Just then John turned back around to face Teyla and Aiden again. Teyla met his eyes as he asked, "Any ideas?" despite the fact he had asked her a very similar question only moments before.Fortunately Teylaunderstood the desperation that was driving him.

"I am sorry, I do not. Though perhaps we could head in that direction," she said, indicating to her right. "That is where I first saw the flash in the sky from the ships," Teyla paused. "And my house also lies in that direction."

John sighed and nodded. "We'll stop by and you can pick up anything that you need. Lead the way."

Teyla then began to lead John and Aiden to where she had first sighted the wraith, even though she knew that realistically they would find nothing. Teyla didn't remember the exact spot but she knew that it was about halfway between Hanzila's house and hers.

When she stopped and began to look around she heard Aiden ask, "This is it?" She nodded as emotion clogged her throat. It wasn't as a result of not finding anything; it was more from the memories that were beginning to press down on her from that night. Teyla drew in a steady breath and tried to focus her concentration on the present. She felt a strong comforting presence at her back and a hand on her shoulder.

"You Ok?" John asked quietly as he bent his head so that it was positioned not far from her ear.

After drawing in another deep breath, Teyla nodded. John released her shoulder, and Teyla thought it might have been somewhat reluctantly.

They made their way to Teyla's house and Teyla entered first. It was too dark to see anything so Teyla turned on the light on her P-90. Holding the gun in front of her, Teyla swept it from side to side. It was dark, but nothing seemed any different than normal. It was fairly odd actually, considering how Teyla's entire life had been turned upside down numerous times over the last few days, and yet here nothing had changed.

Teyla stepped further into the house and John and Aiden followed behind her. She immediately went over to the table and lit the lamp that was on top. A soft glow now permeated the dreary darkness. Teyla turned off the light on her gun and let it hang once again from the strap on her vest.

Teyla began walking around, looking for anything that she may want to bring back with her. There was nothing in the kitchen so she headed into her bedroom. She grabbed a few clothes and shoved them into a bag. Other than that, there was nothing in here that she either needed or wanted.

When she left the tiny room she saw that John was waiting in the hallway for her with a concerned look on her face. She managed to give him a shaky smile, letting him know that she was all right.

When she entered into the twins' room, Teyla had to fight back a surge of mixed emotions. She quickly grabbed some clothes for them and added them to the ones that were already in her bag. It only took her a few moments: they hadn't had the most luxurious lifestyle on Atria.

When Teyla turned to leave the room she saw that once again John was waiting for her in the hallway. She tried to smile at him again as she passed.

Teyla extinguished the lamp on the table out of habit.John and her then met Aiden outside where he was waiting for them. Just at the same moment Ronon's voice came over the radio reporting that they had found nothing. John told him that they would meet up, back at the edge of the forest.

By the time they had reached the path that lead to the Stargate dusk had passed and it was completely dark. No one said anything as they began to make their way back to the gate. As the continued to walk Teyla felt the, now familiar, feeling of dread and despair return. The search had turned out useless.

They were only a few minutes away from reaching the gate when Ronon spotted something off to the side of the trail. Teyla felt a tug at her heart when she realized what it was. Ronon had found Abrianna's beloved rag doll.

* * *

John watched silently from just inside the infirmary room door as Teyla stood beside Abrianna's bed. He noticed that Teyla had placed the rag doll on the table beside the bed. Ronon had found it the day before on their way back to the gate on Atria. Teyla had said something about Abrianna taking it everywhere, and that she must have dropped it when they were running to the gate.

John waited a few more seconds before he went to stand by Teyla. He still felt a little awkward – like he was invading into Teyla's personal grief – yet he knew that he had a right to grieve too.

John stood close to Teyla, but not too close, as they watched the twins silently. Carson would be arriving in a few moments to administer the drug that would wake up the twins. John felt his stomach tie up in knots as he thought about it. They would find out for sure whether the twins were still possessed by the wraith. If they were…John shuddered involuntarily, knowing that the consequences would not be good.

John nearly jumped as he felt Teyla slide her hand into his. He looked at her questioningly, but she was still staring at the kids. He felt her give his hand a gentle squeeze. He briefly glanced down at their linked hands before squeezing her hand in return.

When Carson, Elizabeth, Ford, Ronon and McKay entered the infirmary, John nearly jumped again. He tried to withdraw his hand inconspicuously from Teyla's, but she tightened her grip leaving him unable to do so. Both Teyla and John stepped to the side of the beds as Carson approached.

He was holding a syringe in one hand. He carefully inserted it into Tagan's IV tube and empted it. Carson then pulled another identical syringe from the pocket of his coat and injected the contents of it into Abrianna's IV tube.

**A/N: A horrible place to leave it I know, but I thought I'd do another one of my characteristic cliffies. (Though this one may not be as suspenseful as others.)**

**I'm sorry if this chapter did not meet the expectations that people had for it, but it was another sort of housekeeping chapter. Thankfully, I feel that the next one should be much better, (I have high expectations for it). There will be more action, more emotions, and hopefully some more unexpected plot twists.**

**Also, once again, I'm sorry for any possible spelling or grammatical errors. I have no beta and there are always a few that slip by unnoticed.**

**Please review, I love to read about what people thought of my story – good or bad. And also I will now by replying to reviews using the new reply feature, so keep a look out.**


	12. Chapter 11: Setting Things Right

**A/N: Hi all, sorry for the delay in getting this one posted. I was aiming to get it done before Christmas, but with Uni exams, work, and all that holiday fun stuff it just didn't work out. Keep an eye out for the next chapter though; if all goes well it should be posted in the next week or so.**

**Also thanks to all my faithful reviewers, and extra thanks to camy for keeping me inspired. :)**

_Previously:_

_When Carson, Elizabeth, Ford, Ronon and McKay entered the infirmary, John nearly jumped again. He tried to withdraw his hand inconspicuously from Teyla's, but she tightened her grip leaving him unable to do so. Both Teyla and John stepped to the side of the beds as Carson approached._

_He was holding a syringe in one hand. He carefully inserted it into Tagan's IV tube and emptied it. Carson then pulled another identical syringe from the pocket of his coat and injected the contents of it into Abrianna's IV tube._

**Chapter 11 – Setting Things Right**

They waited.

John didn't know how many minutes they stood there, but it seemed like an eternity. Teyla was holding his hand so tight that it had gone numb, or maybe the numbness was due to how tight he was holding on to her. He wasn't sure, but then it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was whether or not the twins would wake up as themselves. God, he needed them to wake up all right.

John found himself chanting in his head frantically, _let them be ok, let them be ok._ He had even begun to mouth the words, though no one noticed. Then he saw it, a slight movement of Abrianna's hand. Teyla must have noticed too, because John heard her breath hitch in her throat.

Tagan started to shift also. At an excruciatingly slow pace the twins began to regain consciousness.

When Abrianna opened her eyes John saw pure innocence, not malicious intent. He knew that the wraith presence was gone, and he had never felt happier in his entire life.

Before John could even begin to contemplate what to do next, Tagan screamed, "Mom!" He had become aware of his bindings and was panicking. Not even one full second later, Abrianna began to panic too. Both twins were in a full out struggle with their restraints and John knew that if they didn't calm down soon they could seriously hurt themselves.

In a flurry of rapid movement John dropped Teyla's hand and stepped towards Abrianna. From the corner of his eye John could see Teyla reaching for Tagan.

As fast as humanly possible John undid all of the restraints that had been binding Abrianna. Once she was free, Abrianna threw her arms around John's neck in a vice like grip.

John felt his chest tighten with emotion as he picked her up and murmured comforting words into her hair. When she started to cry, he rubbed his hand in soothing circles on her back.

Somewhere behind him, John heard Carson speaking, "Elizabeth, I'm sorry but I need to check them out."

"Can't you give them a minute?"

"Aye, I can do that." John didn't turn around, but he did hear many sets of retreating footsteps.

When John lifted his head and looked off to his right he saw that Teyla was sitting on a hospital bed, cradling Tagan in her arms. He wasn't crying, but he had his face buried in the side of Teyla's neck, and he was holding on for dear life.

John carried Abrianna the short distance to where Teyla was sitting. He gently sat down beside her and Tagan on the bed.

Abrianna slowly lifted her head from where it had been resting on John's shoulder. Then, with a movement that only a child could manage, she climbed over to sit on Teyla's lap too. Without saying a word, Abrianna buried her tear stained face into the other side of her mother's neck.

John watched as Teyla tightened her arms around both of the twins. John didn't even consider saying anything; instead he moved a little closer to Teyla and wrapped his arm around her. It was time to set things right.

* * *

Teyla leaned into John's embrace and closed her eyes. Relief was coursing through her veins. Teyla had no idea what she would have done had the kids woken up still under wraith influence. Hopefully she would never have to experience that feeling. Teyla mentally berated herself; she would not let her thoughts stray down that path, not now when she was so happy.

Teyla involuntarily held the twins a little closer, making sure that they were indeed there, and all right. Tagan let out a small squeak of protest, but other than that, all was silent. Ever since the children had been possessed, silence had bothered Teyla. It had seemed so uncomfortable and foreboding, but now the silence was calm and relaxing.

When Teyla let out a contented sigh, John pulled her a little closer. Teyla couldn't stop thinking about how _right_ this felt. Any further thoughts were escaping her. Teyla was merely living in the moment and couldn't think or feel anything past the present.

The mood was disrupted when Tagan said, "I'm hungry. Can we have some more ugly bird sandwiches?"

Teyla abruptly opened her eyes and looked at her son questioningly. "Ugly bird sandwiches?"

John was laughing. "He means turkey."

When Teyla looked over at John she said, "I'm not even going to ask."

He grinned. "Good idea."

"Can we?" Tagan repeated, this time looking at John.

"Please," added Abrianna as she turned her head to look at John too.

John smiled at them both charmingly, "We'll have to see what Dr. Beckett says."

It took a few seconds for his comment to register with Teyla. She had completely forgotten that Carson would need to check out the twins. Then, as if magically summoned, Carson appeared.

Teyla barely registered Carson's delighted look before John reluctantly withdrew his arm from around her. Standing up, John moved to stand at the foot of the hospital bed. Teyla was instantly surprised by how she craved his presence, even though he was only a few feet away.

"Lass," Carson said to Teyla. "I'll need to have a look at the twins."

Teyla nodded and unwrapped Abrianna's arms from around her neck. "Abrianna," she said quietly, "Dr. Beckett needs to take a look at you and make sure that you're all right."

Abrianna responded by climbing off of Teyla's lap and sitting on the hospital bed. Carson crouched down beside the bed and began to examine her. After a few moments he declared that she was as healthy as could be expected.

Immediately after this, Abrianna hopped down from the bed and ran over to John. Teyla watched as he lifted her up into his arms. The sight of it warmed Teyla's heart.

Carson then quickly examined Tagan. As he was finishing up, the rest of the group re-entered the infirmary. Teyla stood up as Dr. Weir walked toward her. Once she was only a few feet away Dr. Weir said, "I'm glad to see that the twins are all right."

When Teyla nodded, but didn't say anything, Dr. Weir continued. "So long as Dr. Beckett says it's all right, you can take the twins back to your rooms. I don't think that there is any reason to keep them in here longer."

"Thank you," Teyla said.

Dr. Weir inhaled deeply. "Now as much as I wish I didn't have to, I've assigned two marines to keep guard over the twins. No matter where the twins are, I want those guards posted outside of the room."

Teyla nodded her acknowledgement. Even though she didn't like the idea, she knew it was necessary.

Dr. Weir momentarily placed a comforting hand on Teyla's shoulder. "I just don't want to take any chances Teyla. If the wraith possessed the twins once, who's to say they won't do it again?"

"I understand."

"Good," said Dr. Weir. "Now there's just one more thing. You need to talk to the twins about what happened, and try to help them find some way to resist the wraith if it does happen again."

Just then, John, who was still holding Abrianna, stepped up beside Teyla and joined into the conversation. "Later," he said.

Dr. Weir turned to face John. "No, not later, now. As soon as possible."

John forcefully shook his head. "Let it wait until tomorrow at least Elizabeth. The kids have already been through enough today."

Teyla watched as Dr. Weir sighed and said, "All right, tomorrow."

Just then Teyla felt a pair of small arms wrap around her leg. She reached down and hoisted Tagan up onto her hip. "Can we go eat now?"

Teyla laughed and turned around to look at Dr. Beckett. When he nodded Teyla said, "Yes, we can go eat now."

* * *

John had walked with Teyla and the twins to Teyla's rooms before heading to the mess to grab their dinner. Now he was on his way back with a plateful of turkey sandwiches in hand.

As John turned the corner he saw the two marines that were posted outside of Teyla's rooms, but even the sight of them couldn't damper his spirits: the kids were ok... his kids were ok. John was elated.

When John reached Teyla's door, he lifted his hand to knock, but then decided against it. When he entered the quarters he found Teyla sitting at the table watching the children as they played.

"Sandwiches anyone?" he asked as he set the plate down on the table.

Immediately the twins stopped whatever they had been doing and ran over to the table. Once they had hopped up onto some chairs, theyeach grabbed a sandwich and started to eat.

John pulled up the last chair and sat beside Teyla. She gave him a warm smile before offering him a sandwich. He graciously accepted it. "Thank you," he said, and Teyla nodded in response.

Things were still awkward between them, but John hoped that it wouldn't remain that way for long. But first, they had to tell the kids about John being their father. John looked over at Teyla and she nodded. Neither of them had said anything, but John knew they were both on the same track. It was time to tell them. Suddenly John felt very nervous. It was one thing knowing that he was their father, buthaving the twins know about it was a whole other matter.

"Kids," Teyla said softly. Both of the twins set down their sandwiches and looked up at Teyla.

"Yes," they said in unison.

John heard Teyla take a deep breath, but he didn't turn to look at her; he was watching the kids. They looked like they knew that something important was about to happen.

"Kids, John is …"

"Our father," Abrianna finished. John abruptly turned to look at Teyla, but she seemed just as surprised as him.

"How… how did you know that?" Teyla questioned as she stared at Abrianna.

Abrianna shrugged. "I just did."

Then Tagan spoke, "He is?"

John watched as Abrianna turned to talk to her brother. "I told you." Tagan stuck his tongue out at his sister in response.

"Tagan," warned both John and Teyla. Then they quickly glanced to look at each other before turning back to face the kids.

"Tagan, you know better than that," Teyla said.

Tagan sighed and dropped his head. "Yes Mom," he muttered quietly.

For a few moments they all just sat at the table, not really knowing what to do. It was awkward to say the least. Then Tagan broke the silence, "Can we go play?"

Teyla smiled, "Yes, go ahead."

The twins then quickly left the table, and resumed doing…well, whatever it was they had been doing. John watched the kids quietly for a moment before he turned and caught Teyla looking at him. She quickly turned away.

John waited a few more moments. Then he began to say Teyla's name, just as she started to say his. They both laughed, a little self-consciously. Then Teyla spoke.

"Please," she said. "Go ahead."

"Well," John began. "I was just going to say, that could have gone a lot worse."

"Yes, it could have." Teyla paused. "But how did Abrianna know?" Teyla turned to look at John questioningly.

He shook his head. "I have no idea. Maybe it was just intuition, or something."

Teyla nodded. "Yes, perhaps it was."

Another bout of silence descended upon the two. Eventually John spoke again, "You were going to say something."

"Yes," Teyla said quietly. "All I wanted to say was that I want you… to be a part of the kids' lives, no matter how awkward things are between us."

John couldn't help but notice Teyla's stumble over the words, but he didn't mention it. "Really?" he asked.

"Really," said Teyla firmly. "I was wrong to ever leave Atlantis John. I know now that my place is here, and that the twins belong with you."

John didn't know what to say, but it didn't matter because Teyla wasn't finished. "I don't know how I could have been so selfish," Teyla said angrily. "I took my kids away from their father. I spent most of my life growing up without a father, and yet I condemned my children to the same fate."

John laid his hand gently on Teyla's shoulder and squeezed. Teyla looked at him as she continued. "We've been given a second chance John, a chance to make things right."

John gazed deeply into Teyla's eyes and said, "Yes, we have." They stayed that way for a little while before John broke the gaze and removed his hand from Teyla's shoulder.

Both parents watched as the twins played only a few feet away from them, completely oblivious to everything else. John couldn't help but think that tomorrow would be tough. They would need to try and teach the kids how to defend themselves against wraith possession. John continued to watch them and wondered how much more complicated their lives could get.

Then John finally took a closer look at what the kids were doing. It looked like they were playing a board game. "Teyla, what are they playing?" he asked curiously.

Teyla waited a moment before replying. "I believe Dr. Beckett called it Chutes and Ladders. He dropped it off a few minutes before you came back."

"Ah," John said. "Good ol' Snakes and Ladders." When Teyla looked at him inquisitively he explained. "There are two different names for the game. Some people call it Chutes and Ladders, but other people call it Snakes and Ladders."

"Why?"

"Because if your player lands on a space with a ladder then you follow the ladder up to a higher square, but if you land on a space with a snake, or in this case a chute, your player slides back down to a lower square."

"Right," said Teyla.

John smiled; he loved trying to explain Earth stuff to her.

"But John," Teyla asked. "Why do they use snakes?"

"I like snakes," said Tagan unexpectedly.

"Yeah," said John. "Snakes are cool."

"Eww," piped up Abrianna. "Snakes are icky." John nearly laughed when she scrunched up her face in disgust.

"No, they're not," said Tagan.

"Yes, they are."

"Kids," said Teyla as she shook her head. The twins went back to playing their game.

Then John spoke, "Hey Teyla, do you remember that time when we found that huge snake off world?"

Teyla smiled. "Yes, and do you remember how scared Dr. McKay was?" And the conversation progressed from there as both adults took the time to reminisce.

* * *

Teyla lovingly tucked a strand of stray brown hair behind Abrianna's ear. The twins were finally asleep. Teyla and John had spent hours sitting there, in the bedroom with them, until they had dozed off.

Teyla heard John stand up from his chair. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at him she saw him mouthing the words, 'I'm going to go now.' Teyla nodded. She stood up and followed John out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Once they were out in the main room John quietly said, "I'm going to go now."

"Ok."

John looked at Teyla for a few moments as he fidgeted nervously. "So, I guess I'll see ya…"

Teyla nodded. "If you would like, and if you are not busy, you could come back in the morning." Teyla then offered him a shy smile.

John returned the smile. "Yeah," he said. "That's sounds good."

"Yes," Teyla said.

"Ok," John paused. "I'll just…go." He took a few steps towards the door.

"All right." Teyla said as she stepped towards the door too.

"So…I'll see you tomorrow then," John said.

"Yes," Teyla said.

Just as John was about to leave he turned around again. "Teyla, if anything happens…"

"Do not worry John, you will be the first to know."

"Right," he said. "Well…" He inclined his head towards the door and just as he was about to open it, Teyla grabbed a hold of his arm.

When he turned around to face her once again she said, "Thank you John."

Then she was hugging him, though she wasn't one hundred percent sure why. But it was ok, because he was hugging her back, and it felt right.

Eventually John started to pull away slowly, but he kept his hand plantedon Teyla's shoulders. Then their gazes locked. Teyla knew that it was rumored that eyes were the gateway to the soul, but she had never believed it until that moment. She could _see_ John: really see him.

Then they kissed.

Teyla didn't know who had initiated it, but when John's lips touched hers it didn't matter, and she reacted instinctively. She reached one hand up to tangle itself in his hair, and she wrapped her other arm around his back, pulling him closer.

John had moved his hands from Teyla's shoulders, so that they were now cupping her face. When Teyla moved to deepen the kiss, John abruptly pulled away.

Teyla felt the tears beginning to form in her eyes; he was rejecting her again. "Maybe you should go," Teyla said, her voice very shaky.

"Teyla…"

"No John," she said forcefully, fighting back tears. "Please go."

But John didn't heed her request; instead he took a small step back towards Teyla and placed his hands on her shoulders again. "Teyla look at me."

Teyla, who had been staring at the floor, looked up at John again. "Teyla, I'm not sorry that this happened." When she didn't respond he continued, "I care about you Teyla…a lot… and I don't want to screw things up again. If there is a chance for something between us Teyla, then I want to take it slow. And if not…I don't want to do any more damage to our friendship."

Teyla quickly averted her gaze and she could feel the blush spreading across her face. "I amsorry John."

He squeezed her shoulders once. "Hey, it's ok." Then he dropped his hands to his side and walked to the door. "So tomorrow?"

Teyla glanced up at him and nodded. Then she watched as John quietly slipped out the door.

TBC


	13. Chapter 12: Unexpected

**A/N: Ok, here is chapter 12. I had hoped to update sooner, but this chapter turned out longer than I had orginally expected it to. Also, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers, you keep me motivated.**

_Previously:_

_Teyla, who had been staring at the floor, looked up at John again. "Teyla, I'm not sorry that this happened." When she didn't respond he continued. "I care about you Teyla…a lot… and I don't want to screw things up again. If there is a chance for something between us Teyla, then I want to take it slow. And if not…I don't want to do any more damage to our friendship."_

_Teyla quickly averted her gaze and she could feel the blush spreading across her face. "I'm sorry John."_

_He squeezed her shoulders once. "Hey, it's ok." Then he dropped his hands to his side and walked to the door. "So tomorrow?"_

_Teyla glanced up at him and nodded. Then she watched as John quietly slipped out the door._

**Chapter 12 - Unexpected**

John walked past the two marines stationed outside Teyla's door without even seeing them. He was still way too focused on what had just happened in Teyla's quarters. They had kissed, and it had been a damn good kiss. Then they had talked a bit, but for the most part John was still focused on the kiss.

It had been just over five years since the last time he and Teyla had kissed. John was certain that his memory was fading, because kissing her this time had felt ten times better than the last.

_Ok John, focus,_ he thought to himself. He had stopped the kiss before things went too far. Actually, John was proud of himself from exercising that restraint, and for keeping the damage to a minimum. He had meant what he said. He didn't want to screw things up again.

Then John started to think about how Teyla was upset when he put a halt to things. _So I have a chance? _he asked himself.

Then John noticed that he was just down the hallway from his quarters. Immediately after entering them, John threw himself on his bed, not even bothering to turn the lights on.

John knew that Teyla still cared about him as a friend, that much was obvious. But now something else was becoming increasingly obvious too; her care ran deeper than just friendship.

John knew that she had felt something more before she left, but he thought that she had given up on those feelings after he rejected her. John realized that he was wrong, and for once it felt good to be wrong.

* * *

Teyla dimmed the lights in the main room of her quarters before she headed into the bedroom. She would have slept on the couch that was in the main room, but she needed to be close to her kids. 

The twins were still sleeping soundly on the bed. Teyla settled into a large, semi-comfortable armchair that was off to the side of the room. She had taken off her boots and had tucked her feet underneath her. Teyla, who suddenly felt a little chilled, realized that she did not have any kind of blanket to keep her warm. All of the blankets were on the bed with the twins and she did not wish to disturb them.

It was just then that she noticed John's jacket lying on the floor. _Surely he will not mind,_ Teyla thought as she picked it up and draped it over herself. It wasn't all that warm, but it would be sufficient.

Teyla closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, hoping to calm her racing heart enough so that she could sleep. Unfortunately that did not work; it only made her more restless as she recognized the lingering scent of John's cologne.

Teyla let out a quiet, but frustrated sigh. She knew from experience that when her thoughts were centered on John, sleep would not come easily. _Why are things so difficult? _Teyla asked herself, even though she knew the answer.

She didn't think things between John and her would ever be easy, but at the same time some aspects of their relationship, whatever that was, seemed so simple. Teyla liked John, she respected him, and she trusted him unconditionally, even despite everything that had happened since that night five years ago. She knew that John liked, respected and trusted her too. That's why her mind was screaming at her that this shouldn't be hard.

But then Teyla remembered the rejection, and the hurt that he had caused her. She knew he was only doing what he had deemed right at the time, but that didn't lessen the pain. He had asked her forgiveness for his mistakes, and she had given it freely. Teyla was happy to have regained the friendship that she had so sorely missed, and with any other man that would have been enough. But this wasn't any other man: it was John.

* * *

John left the mess hall at a brisk walk carrying a large tray of food. He was headed back to Teyla's quarters and he thought it would be a good idea to bring along some breakfast. Quite frankly he wanted to spend more quality time with his kids, and Teyla. They wouldn't have been able to achieve that in the mess hall, so John had decided to bring the food to them. 

He was almost at Teyla's quarters when he caught sight of Ford. "Good morning," John said in a chipper voice.

Ford smiled at him and said, "Morning Sir."

When John finally reached Teyla's quarters he saw Ronon was emerging from them. John felt a surge of jealousy and he gripped the tray of food a little tighter.

"Ronon," John said tersely, acknowledging the other man's presence.

"Sheppard," Ronon said, or more accurately growled.

"What are you doing here?" John asked, trying not to let any of the emotion that he was feeling carry into his voice.

"Just visiting a friend," Ronon replied. Then he brushed past John, but not before glaring at him first. John knew that look; it was a warning.

* * *

Teyla quickly pulled on a shirt before she left the bedroom. Ronon had just left, and she had decided to change before John arrived. Just then, she was able to barely make out two voices from the hallway. Teyla opened the door to investigate. 

She found John, who was carrying a tray of food, standing outside the door. He was staring down the hallway at Ronon's retreating back.

"John," she said quietly from behind him. He jumped in surprise before turning around.

"Teyla, hi," he said seeming slightly preoccupied. "I was just…" He gestured with one hand in the direction that Ronon had gone.

"Yes," Teyla said. "Ronon had just stopped by for a few seconds."

"Right."

"Shall we?" Teyla said as she motioned her hand toward the room.

"Ladies first," said John with a smile on his face.

* * *

Once they were inside, John let Teyla take the tray of food out of his hands. "It was very thoughtful of you to bring breakfast John." 

"It's nothing," John said happily as he watched Teyla set the food onto the table.

Just as John was about to ask where the kids were, they exited the bedroom. Abrianna was the first to notice him and she smiled shyly.

"Good morning," John said to them.

"Morning," Tagan said grumpily. Obviously he wasn't a morning person.

"Morning Dad," Abrianna said quietly as she walked up to him and lifted her arms above her head.

John felt his smile get even bigger as he picked up his daughter and held her in his arms. He looked over at Teyla, and saw that she was smiling. _God she's beautiful_.

John was now smiling so hard that it hurt; things were definitely looking up.

* * *

"Do we have to go?" asked Tagan. 

Teyla took a deep breath before responding, "Yes Tagan. For the last time, you and your sister must go to meet with Dr. Heightmeyer."

"Fine," he said sulkily.

Teyla sighed, she knew that the twins would not want to go and see Dr. Heightmeyer, but she had explained to them that it was necessary. Abrianna did not want to go either, but she seemed to understand the importance of it.

Teyla looked over her shoulder at John who was holding Abrianna. She was chattering on about something, and John was listening intently. Teyla was glad that they were bonding. It should have happened a long time ago, but as John sometimes said, better late than never.

Tagan tugged on Teyla's pant leg and she glanced down at him. "When we're done can we do something fun?" he asked.

Teyla nodded and smiled. "Of course we can."

Then, all of a sudden, Teyla heard John's voice from across the room, "Are we almost ready to go?"

"Yes John, we are ready."

"Good," he said smiling charmingly at her.

The family began making their way towards Dr. Heightmeyer's office with their two marine escort following behind. It was a fair ways away, but Teyla didn't mind a little walk.

Teyla was walking beside John as the twins bounced along in front of them. She could tell that the twins had some pent up energy that needed to be released. They were used to living in a village where they spent most of their time playing outside, and now they were cooped up inside a city. Teyla loved Atlantis, but it just didn't give the children as much freedom to run around and… act like kids.

Turning her head to face John, Teyla was just about to ask if there was anywhere in the city that the kids could go to run around. Then she heard Abrianna scream.

Teyla whipped her head back around just in time to see her daughter fall to the ground clutching her head in both hands. She couldn't see Abrianna's face, but she could see Tagan's. It was etched with pain.

Then, as Teyla and Johnsprinted the few steps ahead to reach their kids, Tagan knelt down beside Abrianna and placed a hand on her shoulder. Abrianna seemed to relax slightly.

Teyla's heart was racing in her chest. Something was wrong. She had knelt down beside both of the twins, and was just about to ask what was wrong when the unexpected happened.

The twins suddenly became very rigid. Then Teyla heard the twins speak in very low and menacing voices. "Did you really think that we could be stopped so easily?"

* * *

"No!" screamed John. "Elizabeth I will not have my children put into a cell like they're prisoners." 

He watched as Elizabeth drew in an aggravated sigh. "Well then what do you expect me to do John?" Her voice was quiet, but very angry. "They are both currently possessed by the wraith, and being the leader of this facility, I cannot allow anything less than having them put in that cell. They are a danger to themselves and everyone else in Atlantis while they are still under wraith influence."

"I don't care!" John yelled at her. "They are _not_ going to be put in that cell."

Then Elizabeth lost it. "Listen to me John," she screamed. "There is no other option. The sedative didn't work."

"No Elizabeth, you listen to me. I'm in charge of the military…"

"Oh don't you even try to give _me _orders John."

"This is a military…"

"I don't give a damn John, you are letting your personal feelings…"

"Oh," John screamed. "And you never let your personal feelings…" but John didn't get to finish.

"You are out of line here Colonel," Elizabeth said regaining some of her dignity.

John could think of so many retorts, but he let none of them fly. He wasn't helping his kids by sitting here, in Weir's office, arguing with her.

"Listen Elizabeth," he said trying to keep his voice calm. "I'm not saying they don't need to be kept isolated, I'm just saying that they can be confined somewhere else. An empty room Elizabeth. That's all I'm asking. No windows, one door, plenty of marines to stand guard." When Elizabeth didn't respond John said, "Please Elizabeth. I just can't bear to see them in there, and I know that Teyla can't either."

Elizabeth sighed and rested her head on her hands. When she looked up she said, "Fine. But if anything happens, and I mean anything John, they will be put in that cell."

* * *

"Sergeant please…" Teyla begged. "They are children, you cannot put them in that cell." 

"I'm sorry," Bates said. "But I have my orders from Dr. Weir, and I have to follow them through."

Teyla continued to follow Bates down the hallway toward the prison cell. The twins were walking in front of them, still possessed but eerily quiet. They had a five marine escort surrounding them. They were handcuffed, and the sight of it turned Teyla's stomach. What made it worse was they way that they walked. It wasn't the walk of her beloved children.

Looking farther down the hallway Teyla realized that they were almost at the holding cell. She would not have her children in a cell. Grabbing on to Sergeant Bates' arm she pleaded, "Please sergeant, I beg you, don't put them in that cell."

Bates pulled his arm out of Teyla's grasp, but he didn't say anything, he just kept walking.

"Sergeant wait!" John's voice came from behind her. She turned around to look at him with pleading eyes.

"John…" She was so close to breaking down.

He hurried to meet up with them, and placed a comforting hand on Teyla's shoulder. "Sergeant, take the kids to that empty room three floors up from here."

"No Colonel," Bates said coldly. "Dr. Weir specifically ordered me to take them to that cell."

Teyla was surprised when John smirked slightly at Bates. "I'm sorry sergeant, did you think that was a request?" Before Bates could reply John continued, "Dr. Weir changed her orders. The kids are to be taken to the room, not to the cell."

Teyla nearly gasped in shock. "They are?"

"Yes," John said. He gave Teyla a comforting glance. She let out a small sigh of relief.

* * *

John stood with Teyla outside of the twins' isolated room. There were two marines inside the door keeping watch, and another three outside. Elizabeth had told John to wait with Teyla there, so that's what they were doing. 

John could feel the knot of worry in his gut. Not only had the twins been possessed again, but now Beckett's sedatives weren't working. The wraith had found some way to counter the effects. John wouldn't pretend to be a scientist and know how; all that he did know was that it had increased his hatred for the wraith, and he hadn't even thought that was possible.

It seemed like John and Teyla waited forever for Elizabeth to arrive, but in reality it was maybe only ten minutes. When she arrived, she had Dr. Heightmeyer in tow. It was Elizabeth who spoke first.

"Teyla. John," she said, acknowledging each of them in turn. "I would like you both to speak with Dr. Heightmeyer."

"Dr. Weir I do not believe that is necessary," Teyla said, rather unconvincingly. Her voice sounded odd, as if she were struggling to hold back tears.

"Teyla," Dr. Heightmeyer said. "I think you know that talking about it will help." John could barely stand to hear the obvious sympathy in Kate's voice, and apparently Teyla felt the same.

"I do not need to talk about it," Teyla said, anger beginning to mare her beautiful features.

"Actually Teyla," Kate said. "I think that you do. I know that you must feel angry, sad and confused with everything that…"

"The only thing that I am confused about is why you are still trying to get me to talk about it. I do not need to." Teyla's lips were pressed together firmly together in fury.

_This can't be good,_ John thought as he reached out to place a comforting hand on Teyla's arm. "Teyla," he began in a soft voice, but he didn't get to finish.

"No," she said defiantly, pulling out of John's reach. "The only thing that I need is for my kids to get better, to find a solution to this mess. Talking about how I _feel_ will not accomplish that."

Kate sighed. "Teyla, you really should consider…" but then Kate's voice trailed off when Teyla rushed away.

John made to go after her, but Kate shook her head. "I think it may be best if she spends some time alone trying to come to terms with what has happened first."

John nodded reluctantly, he still wanted to follow and make sure that Teyla was ok.

* * *

Teyla crossed the threshold into the training room. She was pleased to see that it was empty. Walking over to the bench she found a pair of Athosian bantos rods. Teyla couldn't remember the last time that she had practiced, but it didn't matter. 

She picked up the rods and tested their weight in her hands. It was comfortable and familiar, everything that her current situation was not.

She twirled one in each hand, loosening up her tense wrist muscles. Eventually she added more complex movement, bringing her hands and the rods swinging in complicated arcs around her upper body.

Then she added in some basic footwork. Basic became complicated as Teyla focused all of her anger into her workout. It was not long before they were one entity: woman and rods moving in a complicated, yet fluid manner.

But the anger was still there, threatening to simmer out of control. There was sorrow also, but Teyla was overwhelmed by the anger: pure rage and hate for the wraith. Each movement became more forceful, more precise. Then she needed more: a live adversary. She needed to release some of this anger on an equal opponent before it became too much.

When Teyla's pattern brought her to face the door, she noticed that she was not alone. Ronon was there. He was holding bantos rods too. Without asking, or even waiting for an invitation, he lifted his arms into a defensive position.

Teyla attacked, and Ronon countered. For a long time they fought. Eventually some of Teyla's anger had drained away. Not all of it would, but it was enough for now.

Just then the two fighters found themselves in a stalemate. Both sets of rods were locked together between the two of them. Brute strength would win this in the end, but it was not a test of skill. They both broke off at the same instant.

Teyla twirled the rods in her hands for a few moments; Ronon did the same. The next time Teyla attacked, Ronon spoke, "So."

Teyla didn't respond; she kept her concentration on sparring. Ronon still keep talking as he blocked strike after strike, "You and Sheppard."

Teyla nearly growled at his words. As she blocked the descent of one of his rods with her own she asked, "What about John and I?" Her breathing was slightly labored, and her voice deadly quiet, but she knew that Ronon had heard her.

"You like him." Ronon blocked.

"He is my friend." Teyla intercepted Ronon's attack with one of her own.

Ronon snorted, "Your friend?" He had to take a hasty step backward as Teyla advanced forcefully.

"Yes," she said angrily. "He is my friend."

Ronon turned the tide of the fight, and now it was Teyla who was retreating. "You care about him."

Teyla grimaced as one of Ronon's blows jarred her wrists. "I care for all my friends."

Ronon countered Teyla's most recent attack. "Not in the same way."

Teyla launched a rapid series of strikes, all of which Ronon countered, though barely. "That is not true," she said, even though she knew it was.

"I think it is. But I don't know why." Ronon swung low with his right arm, so low that Teyla had to jump over the rod when she couldn't counter it with her own.

Teyla didn't answer. She executed a complicated attack move. But Ronon had been the one to teach it to her, so he saw it coming and successfully countered it. He continued, "If what you told me was true, then he doesn't deserve that care from you."

Teyla grunted as she threw extra force into her next strike. It contacted Ronon's shoulder hard, but Teyla didn't stop. "John did what he felt was right."

"It was wrong!" Ronon blocked two more of Teyla's strikes in quick succession.

Teyla kept up her attack, unrelentingly. "He did not know what else to do." Her breathing was even more labored now, but her voice remained firm.

When Ronon lowered the rods to his sides, Teyla had to stop her attack abruptly, so as not to hurt him. She did not know why he had stopped. Then suddenly he said, "You love him."

"What!" Teyla asked as she too let her rods hang by her side.

"I said you love him."

Teyla's eyes bore into Ronon as she shook her head. "No, I do not…" But then Teyla stopped to think about it. If she finished that sentence she would be lying. She stood there, in shock at the realization. To have someone say it out loud… Ronon took her bantos rods and placed them down next to his on the bench.

Then he stood in front of Teyla, and looked down at her. "It's ok if you do. But if he hurts you again, I will tear him apart limb by limb."

Teyla was so startled by Ronon's outburst that she laughed. "I can take care of myself."

Ronon smiled at her. "I know, but I care about you. It's what friends do."

His kind words brought a small smile to her face. "Thank you," she said sincerely as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He hugged her back tightly, lifting her off of the ground momentarily.

When Ronon's arms stiffened around her waist she turned to look in the direction that he was looking in.

John was standing in the doorway, looking like he had just been punched in the gut.

TBC


	14. Chapt 13: A Step in the Right Direction

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I hope you all enjoy!**

_Previously:_

_His kind words brought a small smile to her face. "Thank you," she said sincerely as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He hugged her back tightly, lifting her off of the ground momentarily._

_When Ronon's arms stiffened around her waist she turned to look in the direction that he was looking in._

_John was standing in the doorway, looking like he had just been punched in the gut._

**Chapter 13 – A Step In the Right Direction**

"What the hell is going on!" John screamed as he entered into the training room.

Teyla forcefully pulled herself out of Ronon's arms as he said, "What does it look like?"

"Ronon!" Teyla said angrily at the same time John said, "I'm not asking you."

An awkward silence descended upon them for a few moments before Teyla turned to John and said, "I can explain."

John felt himself losing control over his emotions. "I don't even know if I want to hear it Teyla. I came to find you because I thought that you might need someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on so to speak. But apparently not, because you've already found one."

* * *

Teyla was so shocked that she could only stand and watch as John stormed out of the training room. It took her a few moments to realize that she needed to go after him, wanted to go after him. Unfortunately when she left the room he was nowhere to be seen. Picking a random direction Teyla headed off in search of John. She didn't even register Ronon's voice as he called out after her.

* * *

John stood on the balcony that overlooked most of the city, the one that was attached to the 'party room' as John called it. It was ironic really that he found himself there.

He had been standing on the balcony for the better part of an hour, not able to do anything but feel betrayed.His feelings were in dire contrastwith the sunny clear skies overhead.

John was leaning against the rail, head in hands, when Teyla finally found him. Upon hearing the door open behind him, John turned around quickly to see who it was.He couldn't even decide on which emotion to choose whenhe realized who was there.

John turned around to lean on the railing again. A part of him wanted to leave so that he could be alone, but another part wanted to stay. It was the latter partthat won in the end.

He didn't have to turn around to know that Teyla was hovering behind him, waiting for him to make the first move, to say something. But he couldn't, he didn't know what to say.

Eventually John felt Teyla's feather light touch on his arm as she whispered, "John." He tried not to shudder, but was unsuccessful. Here she was, being so soft and gentle, being everything that he wanted…

"John," she repeated keeping her voice quiet, "I would like to have the chance to explain to you what happened today."

John didn't respond; he simply kept his gaze on the city below.

"Please look at me John," Teyla pleaded.

He turned around to face her. When he saw her painful expression he couldn't help but feel the urge to hold her, and try to make everything better. But sadly she didn't seem to need him for that any more.

"We were only sparring," Teyla said, and John could tell that she was trying to keep her voice steady. "I never meant to hurt you in any way, please believe me."

John sighed. "I know that Teyla, but it does hurt." Teyla began to say something in response, but John interrupted her. "It hurts that you wouldn't look to me for comfort Teyla. I know that things are still tentative between us, but we're friends, and we're in this together." He paused as he drew in a shaky breath. "You never used to have problems coming to me when you were upset, but I guess I just have to resign myself to the fact that things are different now."

John dropped his gaze so that he was looking at the floor, but immediately Teyla intertwined her fingers with his and he looked back up at her as she spoke. "Some things yes… but not that. There is no one who I would rather seek comfort from."

"Then…" John said, trying to make sense of everything.

Teyla sighed, but did not pull her hands out of John's. "I went to the training room to release my anger John, surely you understand that."

John gave her hands a light squeeze; "You know that I do, but what about Ronon?"

"We were sparring John," she said, sounding blatantly truthful.

John let out a deep breath that he didn't know he had been holding. Teyla wasn't lying: they had only been sparring. This led him to the next logical question, "Then why were you hugging?" John was a little surprised that he was no longer jealous, but he believed Teyla, and he just wanted to understand.

This time it was Teyla who dropped her gaze, but John quietly whispered her name and she looked back up at him as she spoke. "When we were sparring Ronon said some things…"

"What did he say?" John asked. "Do I need to punch him for it."

Teyla laughed, "No, it wasn't anything bad. He just helped me to realize something."

"So you hugged him?" John asked teasingly.

Teyla smiled, "I hugged him because he is my friend. And because he helped me sort out my feelings."

John gazed intently into Teyla's eyes, "Your feelings about what?"

She gazed right back. "You."

John gulped nervously; he hadn't been expecting that. "And those feelings are…" He let his voice trail off, hoping that Teyla would answer. He was so nervous, but he needed to know.

Her answer was simple, "Love."

John's breath caught in his throat, and he felt his pulse quicken. "Really?" he asked hopefully.

Teyla's hands were shaking now, and she gave him a timid smile. "Really," she said, sounding breathless. "I love you John."

John immediately pulled his hands away from Teyla's and cupped the sides of her face. Then he lowered his mouth to hers. He had thought that kissing her the night before had been amazing, but it couldn't even compare to this.

John instinctively deepened the kiss and Teyla responded. She had wrapped one of her hands around the back of his neck, and was using it to keep him close. John moved his hands so that one of them was in a smilar position and the other was around her waist. He pulled her closer, until her entire body was pressed firmly against his. He knew right then that kissing Teyla had to be the best thing in the entire universe.

They stood on that balcony, and kissed for what seemed like forever. John had lost himself in that utterly blissful feeling and he felt suddenly odd, incomplete, when they finally pulled away from one another. As much as John wanted to continue with what they had been doing, it wasn't the right time.

When John opened his eyes he saw Teyla gazing up at him, and she looked happy, truly happy. Planting both hands firmly on Teyla's waist, he then rested his forehead against hers. While looking deep into her eyes he spoke in a soft voice, "I love you too."

Teyla's face light up with pure joy. John was so happy that he had finally done the right thing. Hekissed her once more, lightly andtenderly.

After he pulled away, Johntucked a stray piece of hair behind Teyla's ear, caressing the side of her face as he did so. Then he leaned his back against the railing and pulled Teyla towards him so that she was leaning against him bodily. She wrapped her arms securely around his back just as he did the same to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and John closed his eyes, hoping to savor that moment forever.

John was surprised when he felt something wet soaking through his t-shirt. He opened his eyes and concern surged through his veinswhen he saw that Teyla was crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Teyla looked up at him with watery eyes. "Nothing," she said, and John noticed that she did indeed still look happy. "Everything is right."

John kissed the top of her head gently. He was still astonished by how strong their feelings were for each other.

He heard Teyla sigh in contentment as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck a little more. Her chest moved up and down in time with his.

John was reluctant to break the comfortable silence, but he had to ask. "Why was this so difficult?"

Teyla's response was muffled against his chest, but he still heard her answer. "Because the important things always are."

TBC


	15. Chapter 14: Vigil

**A/N: Sorry for the delay with this one. I'm not sure when the next one will be up, I've got midterms coming up next week. But I might need a break from studying, so that break might be writing the next chapter. Anyways, thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing. Enjoy!**

_Previously:_

_He heard Teyla sigh in contentment as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck a little more. Her chest moved up and down in time with his._

_John was reluctant to break the comfortable silence, but he had to ask. "Why was this so difficult?"_

_Teyla's response was muffled against his chest, but he still heard her answer. "Because the important things always are."_

**Chapter 14 - Vigil**

John quickly made his way to the observation room from the mess hall. It was late, probably two or three in the morning. The room had been set up with surveillance equipment to monitor the twins. John and Teyla had spent the entire day and night there.

He had gone to get coffee and was now on his way back, thermos in hand.

When John arrived he found Teyla slouched over a desk, her head lay on her arms. She was asleep.

He sat down in the vacant chair beside her. He took a few minutes to simply look at her. Her hair was messy, she had dark rims under her eyes, but she still shone with beauty.

John couldn't resist the urge to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He let his hand linger for a few seconds, before withdrawing it.

He opened the thermos and was greeted with the strong smell of coffee. He was so tired that even the brief whiff ofit seemed to wake him up slightly. He poured as much as he could into the lid of the thermos, and then raised it to his lips.

The liquid warmed his throat on the way down. He finished off the cup as fast as he could without burning his tongue. Eventually he started to feel himself wake up a bit more. That was good; he definitely needed to be more alert, although there wasn't actually much to do up in the observing room.

He and Teyla had spent so many hours just staring at the surveillance screens. The twins, rather the wraith-possessed twins, were sitting in the isolated room; just sitting. Apart from the few words the wraith had spoken to Teyla when he first possessed the twins, he had remained silent. It actually made it even more unnerving.

They just sat on the ground staring straight ahead, unflinching. They didn't even move a muscle when the marine guard had switched off.

John sighed and wearily ran his hand through his hair. He wished that there was something he could do, but there wasn't. Hell, they didn't even know what the wraith wanted. John couldn't even think of any reason why the wraith would want to possess his children.

Logically his first response would have been that they wanted information, but it wasn't like they would get that from possessing children. The entire time the kids had been on Atlantis they had been nowhere near anything that was of strategic importance. They didn't even know the gate address for the city, so what did the wraith want with them?

John didn't ponder any further on the issue because Teyla began to stir. He was moving to pour her a cup of coffee when he realized that she wasn't waking up, she was having a nightmare.

Slightly alarmed, John placed his hand on her shoulder and gently shook it. "Teyla," he whispered softly. "Teyla wake up."

But she didn't. Her face scrunched up in what appeared to be pain, and John felt himself begin to panic. "Teyla," he repeated, louder this time, as he shook her shoulder harder.

She bolted upright and nearly hit John's face with the back of her head. Her eyes were wide in panic, and she was breathing like she had just finished one of her sparring workouts.

"You okay?" John asked quietly, unsure if that was the right thing to say.

Teyla turned her head to meet his gaze and gave him the briefest of nods. "It was a nightmare," she said; her voice was a little shaky.

John placed a comforting hand on her back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was the wraith." Teyla didn't meet John's eyes.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. Then he kissed the top of her head as she leaned into the embrace. "It's ok," he whispered into her hair. "It's ok."

John tightened his hold on Teyla slightly when she sighed and closed her eyes. They sat like that for a few moments. It was nice really; he just wished that it could be under different circumstances.

Then John suddenly realized something: Teyla, dreams, wraith… shit! The thoughts all came to him so quickly. He abruptly stood up, and Teyla nearly fell of the chair when he was no longer supporting her.

"John," she said in a concerned and sleepy voice. "What's wrong?"

He looked down at her and spoke quickly. "You were having a dream, a dream about the wraith."

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "Yes…"

"Teyla," he said, grabbing her shoulders. "You do remember the last time that you had nightmares about the wraith right?"

John knew the exact moment when Teyla realized what he was implying. "Yes," she sounded scared. "Do you think that there are wraith in the city now?"

He swallowed nervously. "I hope not, but we should go down to the gate room and get someone to check the life signs detector."

Teyla nodded as she stood up. "Let's go."

John grabbed Teyla's hand in his and headed out the door.

* * *

"Well of course I can check the life signs scanners, though I don't see why I would. There is much more important stuff that I need to be doing," Dr. McKay said irritably. 

Teyla watched John's jaw tense slightly before he responded, "I think that you should check the life signs detector Rodney."

Dr. McKay swiveled in his chair to face them. "Now why would…"

"Because I had a dream about the wraith. We would like to make sure that there are no wraith hiding out in the city like before."

Rodney looked slightly surprised, but he appeared to now understand why they were asking him to do this. "All right," he said quickly as he turned back around to face the computer panel in the control room. "Just let me… ah ha! Right there… ok, life signs detector up and running."

Suddenly the viewing screen was filled with a blueprint of the city. There were many dots, all of which represented a person, or possibly a wraith.

Rodney began to scan through all sections of the city, looking for a dot that was out of place. As he searched through the layout of the city he began to speak. "I don't know how a wraith could even have gotten into the city. The last time a wraith dart crashed, but we haven't had any wraith anywhere near the city."

Teyla stood beside John and they watched anxiously over Rodney's shoulder as he kept looking. She turned to John and said quietly, "Maybe it was just a dream, just a nightmare."

John shrugged. "Maybe, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

After a few tense minutes Rodney declared that there was no wraith in the city.

"Are you one hundred percent sure McKay?" John asked, somewhat speculatively.

Rodney turned around to face them. "Of course I'm sure."

John's eyebrows rose at his comment. "I'm just saying that you can't actually tell the difference between a wraith life sign and a human life sign."

"Really?" Rodney asked sarcastically. "I didn't know that."

"Rodney," John said in warning.

"Look, I know how to do my job, so why don't you just let me do it. The only life signs are ones in sleeping quarters, the ones here in the gate room, and a few clusters that are the marines on patrol. They are no solitary life signs."

"Ok," John said. "But what if there's a group of wraith?"

A look of indignation light up on Rodney's face. "I don't know. I'm not superman. But I am assuming that the marine patrol would run into them, if they were there. No matter what, all the life signs are in the occupied part of the city. If there is wraith, or multiple wraith, then there is a very good chance that someone will see them." He took a very deep breath at the end of his little speech. "Are we all happy now?"

John sighed and nodded. "Yeah." But he didn't sound happy.

He looked like he was about to turn around and leave, but then he stopped. "Hey Rodney," John said. "Have you found anything on the deep space scanners?"

Teyla watched as Rodney sighed and shook his head wearily. "Nothing yet, but that's what we're working on right now."

It was then that Teyla realized how exhausted he looked. It was like John had read her mind. Immediately he said, "Make sure that you're getting some rest Rodney."

He didn't respond, but Teyla sincerely hoping that he would take the advice. He was the smartest person in the city and they would need him if they were going to get through this, whatever this was.

John looked at Teyla and inclined his head toward the hallway. She stepped in front of John, and nearly jumped when she felt the unexpected, but thoroughly pleasant, warmth of his hand on her lower back. They were only a few steps from being out of the gate room when one of the scientists said anxiously, "Dr. McKay I think that you should have a look at this."

Teyla and John hurried back in time to see Rodney shove the scientist out of the way, and begin looking at the computer screen. His face scrunched up in…confusion?

"Now that's odd," he said, sounding utterly puzzled. He began rapidly typing something on the keyboard. "That is _very_ odd."

"What's very odd?" John asked warily.

"This data here," Rodney said. "From the looks of things a ship came out of hyperspace nearly right above the planet a few days ago. At least that's what the energy readings suggest."

"But…" John prompted.

"But then they're gone."

"Gone?" Teyla inquired as she took a few steps towards Rodney.

"Yeah," John said. "What do you mean by gone?"

Dr. McKay sighed. "I mean gone, not there."

Teyla's eyebrows narrowed at his last comment. "How could that happen?" she asked.

"Please tell me that you have an explanation McKay."

Rodney stood upright from his hunched over position. "Like I said, do I look like superman?"

"McKay."

"No, I don't have an answer," he said irritably. "Not yet anyways."

John gave him a bit of a smirk. "That sounds better."

Rodney then threw his hands up in the air. "Well sorry," he said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "There are energy readings for a total of point eight three seconds, that's it."

Teyla saw that John was getting frustrated. She wasn't that surprised, dealing with Rodney when he was like this would do that to you.

"Is it possible that a ship exited hyperspace, and then jumped right back in again?"

Dr. McKay looked at John like he had grown a second head. "You really don't know anything do you?"

"Hey!" John said resentfully.

"Listen," Rodney said. "I'm the genius, I'll figure it out. Now go away, you're distracting me." He immediately turned back to the computer screen and started to type again.

As they walked away for the second time,John muttered something about 'mensa' under his breath.

* * *

John tried to force the last remnants of his coffee down his throat, but he just couldn't. It was cold, disgusting, and he was too damn tired. He glanced over at where Teyla sat next to him in the observation room. She had fallen asleep again, and he didn't really want to wake her. 

Looking at his watch John groaned. It was nearly five in the morning, Atlantis time. He was exhausted, and needed to get some sleep. He wasseriously contemplating copying Teyla, and just falling asleep at the table, but it looked too uncomfortable. In fact Teyla's neck would probably be more than a little sore when she woke up.

John sighed and stretched his stiff arms above his head. He took a quick glance at the monitors, but it was the same picture he had been staring at for hours. The twins were just sitting there, their marine escort off to the side of the picture. John felt a surge of anger at the helplessness of the situation, but he'd be damned if he didn't try every possible option to help his kids. But first he needed sleep.

He got up off his uncomfortable chair and crouched down beside Teyla's. He placed his hand gently on the top of her head. "Teyla," he whispered. She began to stir slightly. "Time to wake up," he said, keeping his voice quiet.

It took a few seconds but eventually she opened her eyes. She focused her gaze on his face, and John smiled. She was so beautiful, even when she was sleepy like this.

Then Teyla sat up abruptly and looked at the monitors. "Did something happen?" she asked, her voice still gravelly from sleep.

John shook his head. "No," he said, as he stood up. "They've been the same the entire time."

Teyla nodded as she too stood up. Then, all of a sudden, she turned to face the monitor quickly and said, "Wait."

"What?" John asked as he looked over her shoulder.

"Did you see that?" Teyla asked hesitantly.

Shaking his head John replied. "No, did you see something?"

She sighed, looking almost defeated. "I could have been sure that I saw Abrianna reach up and touch her forehead."

John and Teyla stared at the monitor intently for the next few moments, but John wasn't seeing anything of the sort.

He wrapped his arms around Teyla. "I think that you're seeing things Teyla."

"Maybe," she said quietly as she leaned into the embrace.

He rubbed his hands up and down her arms soothingly. "You're tired Teyla, it's late, or early rather, and it's probably just the exhaustion."

She nodded. "I suppose that you are right."

John quickly kissed the top of her head. "Come on," he said. "Let's go get some sleep."

Teyla's gaze shifted back over to the screen. John sighed.

"Teyla, we aren't actually doing anything here."

"I know."

"I feel the need to be here, just like you, but right now there's no point. They haven't done anything, and we need to get some rest." She nodded and John continued. "Plus, if anything does happen, we'll be the first to know."

"Alright," she said as she took John's hand in hers. It surprised him a little, but he wasn't complaining. He gently squeezed her fingers, and she squeezed back.

"Let's go," he said, tugging slightly on Teyla's hand.

* * *

Teyla walked out of the bedroom on shaky legs. She had had another dream about the wraith. She shuddered as she remembered the details. 

Standing by the couch, she watched John as he slept. He looked peaceful, but she knew that he was just too exhausted to dream. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she thought about how there was nothing that she wanted more than to curl up with him on that couch.

Giving in to temptation she stepped closer and placed her hand on John's shoulder. She gently shook him until he woke up.

"Teyla?" he asked, still half asleep. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I had another dream about the wraith."

His eyes narrowed in concern. "You ok?" He made to sit up, but Teyla stopped him with the gentle push of her hand.

Instead of responding to his question she gently pushed him again, this time so that he his back was pressed up against the back of the couch. When she laid down beside his stretched out body he said, "Teyla what…"

"Do not ask questions John." She pulled the blanket that John had been using over her too. She arranged herself so that her back was pressed up against John's chest.

After a few moments he wrapped his one arm tightly around her stomach, and stretched the other one out over the armrest.

His face was mostly buried in her hair, and she barely heard him when he said sleepily, "'Night Teyla, love you."

She smiled and responded quietly, "I love you too."

TBC


	16. Chapter 15: Trouble

**A/N: I give you all my sincerest apologies for the delay in getting this out. Please forgive me.**

_Previously:_

_After a few moments he wrapped his one arm tightly around her stomach, and stretched the other one out over the armrest._

_His face was mostly buried in her hair, and she barely heard him when he said sleepily, "'Night Teyla, love you."_

_She smiled and responded quietly, "I love you too."_

**Chapter 15**

John wrapped his one arm a little tighter around Teyla, holding her flush against his body. He'd been awake for almost half an hour, but he didn't feel like moving. Lying there with Teyla was comforting in a way he couldn't even begin to describe. He was feeling almost happy, and that was quite something considering the situation they were all in.

Eventually Teyla began to stir, and John peered over her shoulder to see if she was actually awake. Her eyes fluttered open and he grinned at her sleepy expression. He could tell that it took her a few seconds to get her bearings, but then she smiled back at him.

"Morning," he said quietly.

"Good morning John," she responded as she stretched her arms above her head, narrowly missing hitting John's head.

She blushed, and he thought that it was absolutely adorable.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"That's fine," he said.

She slowly sat up, causing the blanket to fall away. Without it, and without Teyla's body heat John suddenly felt cold. He was tempted to pull her back down and wrap his arms around her, but he wasn't sure if they were at that point yet.

* * *

Teyla sat on the edge of the couch, somewhat unsure of what to do. She'd crawled onto the couch with John the night before when she'd had a nightmare, but quite honestly she hadn't thought much past that point. Now she was feeling a little awkward, not really knowing what she should be saying or doing.

She glanced over her shoulder at John and was glad to see that he looked a little unsure too. It made her feel better knowing that they were both still finding their footing in their relationship.

"What time is it?" she asked quietly, turning again to look at him.

He glanced at his watch. "Just after eight," he said.

Teyla sighed. She was still feeling exhausted, but it was no wonder, she'd gotten less than three hours of sleep.

John looked up, meeting her gaze. "I guess we should go see Elizabeth. See if she has some sort of plan."

Teyla nodded and stood up. "I suppose that is best," she said, her voice hesitant.

Once she had gotten off the couch John sat up. He looked up at her, "I know you're worried about Tagan and Abrianna, but I'm sure there hasn't been any change. If there was someone would have told us."

She sighed. "I know."

John reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting it fall back to her side. "We'll stop by the observation room on the way to meet Elizabeth."

Teyla nodded. It was really the only thing that they could do.

* * *

Less than two hours later John found himself aboard the Daedalus preparing for take off. They were heading out into orbit around the planet to see if they detect anything that would have emitted the short burst of energy that had been detected on the scanners.

John wasn't even sure if they'd find anything, after all it had been days since the energy emission. But really, they did have to check and that's why he found himself in his current position.

Rodney had insisted on coming along and was running some sort of last minute test before they took off. Colonel Caldwell was sitting in the captain's chair waiting patiently. John however was pacing near the entrance to one of the corridors.

After what seemed like forever Rodney gave the ok to launch, and the Daedalus began its take off. It didn't take long until they were breaking out of the atmosphere and for that John was grateful.

He knew that this was a part of his job, and he felt the need to be there on the Daedalus doing it. However he felt another need, one that was much stronger. His gut told him that he should be with his kids.

He silently urged the ship to move faster. The sooner they were done up here, the sooner he could be back on Atlantis with his kids.

* * *

Teyla and Ronon made their way to the observation room in silence. She wasn't quite sure why he was with her, but she suspected that Dr. Weir had not wanted her to spend the whole day by herself in there. It was hard enough to do it when there were others present, but to be left alone in there with her thoughts… she didn't even want to think of it.

They reached the observation room and Teyla entered first. She took the seat directly in front of the main monitor, leaving Ronon to take the one that was slightly off to the side. He did, although his large presence dwarfed the small chair.

The silence from their walk continued on. It made sense to Teyla. Ronon was a man of few words to start with and there was also the fact that they hadn't really spoken since their sparring match and discussion in the gym.

She watched the image of the twins on the screen for a few minutes. They still remained unmoving. The only thing different from last night, or more accurately that morning, was that there were plates of half-eaten food sitting beside them. Obviously the wraith possessing them did not want them to die. The thought comforted Teyla's troubled mind in some ways, but in others it only made it worse. This meant that the wraith needed the children alive for something, and that entire idea made her feel sick to her stomach. Her children were not pawns to be used by the wraith.

Unable to watch anymore Teyla averted her gaze from the screen. A few moments later Ronon began talking.

"So you worked things out with Sheppard?"

Teyla turned to look at him fully. "Yes," she responded quietly. "I have."

Ronon leaned forward in his chair, resting elbows on knees. "Good."

She couldn't help but smile at his words.

"But," he said continuing. "I meant what I said before. If he hurts you…" Ronon let his voice trail off, allowing it to have more of a threatening effect.

Teyla's smile broadened. "I also meant what I said before." She paused for a moment when Ronon looked at her in a peculiar way. "I can take care of myself."

He smiled back at her. "Yes you can."

They descended into an easysilence, neither one saying anything. Teyla found it oddly comforting. She still couldn't believe how truly blessed she was to have the kind of friends that she did.

* * *

"Nothing!" Rodney cried out in an exasperated voice. "We came all the way up here to find out that there is nothing."

John sighed and went over to stand beside Rodney at one of the control panels on the ship. "You're the one who insisted on coming."

He looked over his shoulder from where he was working and tried to give John a nasty look. "Well, if we did find something I'd need to be here."

John shrugged his shoulders before leaning up against the wall beside the control panel. He glanced over at where Caldwell was sitting and getting an idea, pushed himself off the wall. After making his way over there he said, "Get the hyperdrive on line."

Turning around in his chair Caldwell said, "Excuse me?"

"I said get the hyperdrive on line."

"Are we going somewhere Colonel?" he asked indignantly.

"Just a little trip."

John figured that he probably should have explained his plans better because Colonel Caldwell was beginning to look angry. "That's not our mission Colonel. Dr. Weir did not authorize us to go anywhere. Come up here and check things out, that's all we're doing."

"Relax," John said testily. "We're going to see if we can recreate the same energy readings. If we do, then we're also going to see how long it takes to jump back into hyperspace immediately after dropping out."

Rodney's loud voice directly behind him made John jump a little. "It's not going to work."

John turned to face him. "Well, we need to make sure Rodney. Because if not we have a big problem on our hands."

At the confused looks on both Rodney's and Caldwell's faces he continued. "If those readings we did pick up were from a ship exiting hyperspace, and it is impossible to jump again that quickly… well, let's just say that we'll have one unknown ship unaccounted for."

* * *

Teyla stood up from her chair and raised her arms above her head stretching them out. They had been sitting there for at least three hours and every muscle in her body was becoming sore from disuse. She knew that Ronon felt the same way because he had completely given up sitting nearly thirty minutes before hand. Instead he had opted for pacing the room restfully, and then stopped at random intervals to just stare at the screens.

Just as she was about to sit back down Teyla saw a brief flash of movement on the screens. Startled, she leaned toward the screen focusing intently on the image. But now there was nothing, everything looked the same as it had for the entire morning. It had happened earlier and John had dismissed it as being due to her exhaustion, but not that she had seen it twice she wasn't so sure.

"Something wrong?" Ronon asked from where he was leaning against the wall.

"I am not sure," Teyla responded quietly. "I thought I saw a flash of movement, but when I looked closer nothing appeared to be different."

She didn't turn to look at Ronon but she could feel him move a few steps closer to her. "I didn't see anything."

Teyla sighed. "Maybe I am just…" She paused mid sentence as she saw her daughters face scrunch up in pain for a brief moment. "There!" she said breathlessly.

Ronon moved up so that he was standing directly beside Teyla. Leaning over to get a better look at the screen he said, "Yeah, I saw that."

She turned her head slightly to look up at Ronon. "What do you think it means?" she asked anxiously.

"Not sure," he replied. "It could be nothing."

Just then Abrianna's face scrunched up in pain again and this time she cried out. Immediately Tagan reached out and grabbed hold of his sister's arm. The pain left her face and when she looked up toward the camera Teyla saw her daughter's scared eyes, not those of the wraith.

Running out the door with Ronon quick on her heels she said, "That's not nothing."

When she made it to the observation room she ordered the marines guarding the door to let her in. She really had no authority over them, but they obeyed her nonetheless. When she entered the room both twins looked up at her with cold and unrelenting eyes. She felt her heart sink in her chest.

Ronon barged into the room a second after her and was quick to notice the same thing. "She's been repossessed."

Teyla could only nod in response. Suddenly she felt the urge to get out of there, it was hurting her too much to see her kids like that, especially after having had the brief hope that they were free again.

She stormed past the marines and she could hear Ronon following behind her, but he kept his distance. Teyla needed to get down the infirmary. What had just happened had to be important, and surely Dr. Beckett would know why.

She didn't run, but she was walking very fast, so fast in fact that she nearly crashed into Halling as she turned one of the corners. His hands reached out to steady her automatically, but then he stopped and a look of shock appeared on his face as he realized who she was.

It had been five years since she had last seen him, and the last words they had spoken had been of her pregnancy and unexpected departure. Teyla wished that she had time to talk to him, but the twins were her main priority.

"I'm sorry Halling, but I need to go see Dr. Beckett."

She moved to walk past him but he grabbed onto her arm just above the elbow. "Teyla this is important, something I think that you should know." She looked at him questioningly and he opened his mouth to continue.

Just then Teyla heard other voices from down the hallway. Looking over Halling's shoulder she saw John, Rodney, Dr. Weir and Colonel Caldwell all heading towards them.

John immediately ran up to her, obviously noticing the worried look on her face. "Is everything ok?" he asked anxiously.

She pulled her arm out of Halling's grasp and turned to face John. "It's Abrianna."

John's entire body tensed when he heard her words. "What's wrong?" His voice was breathless.

"We don't know. But for a moment she was no longer possessed."

"What?" John asked at the same time that Rodney did.

Her gaze flickered back and forth between the two of them. "It was only for a few seconds. I was on my way to find Dr. Beckett when Halling stopped me," she said motioning her hand toward where he stood.

He used that as an invitation to speak and said, "I was actually looking for you Dr. Weir. I thought you should now that some of the Athosians have been having nightmares about the wraith. At first we did not think much of it, but then I remembered what Teyla told me… about what happened when she had similar dreams."

Rodney threw his hands up into the air. "We are so screwed!"

John tuned around to face him. "Shut up Rodney." His voice was very tense. Immediately Teyla knew that there was something else going on too.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, silently fearing the worst.

He turned around to face her. "We didn't find anything in orbit so we did some test jumps seeing if we could recreate the energy emissions. Whatever happened, there was definitely a hyperspace jump involved." He paused for a brief moment while he took a deep breath. "We did other tests trying to see if it was possible to jump directly back into hyperspace after coming out… It's not."

"What does that mean?" Halling asked.

John sighed. "What that means is that a ship exited hyperspace in orbit around the planet. It's impossible for them to have jumped away. And unless they left using only sub-light engines, they're still here."

"Wouldn't there be some sign of them then?" Teyla asked.

It was Rodney who responded. "I can only guess that they have some sort of shields that stop the ship from being detected. But we didn't see any visual evidence of a ship."

John continued on where Rodney left off. "Meaning that they're probably on the mainland somewhere. And with the information about some of the Athosians having nightmares…"

Dr. Weir took a deep breath before speaking.

"By all appearances we have wraith on the planet."

TBC


	17. Chapter 16: Tension Rising

_Previously:_

_It was Rodney who responded. "I can only guess that they have some sort of shields that stop the ship from being detected. But we didn't see any visual evidence of a ship."_

_John continued on where Rodney left off. "Meaning that they're probably on the mainland somewhere. And with the information about some of the Athosians having nightmares…"_

_Dr. Weir took a deep breath before speaking. "By all appearances we have wraith on the planet."_

**Chapter 16 - Tension Rising**

Then all hell broke loose. Everyone was saying something, giving suggestions, some even trying to give orders. At least that was the case until Dr. Weir shouted, "Quiet!" The obvious authority in her voice was enough to shut everyone up.

"Listen," she said tensely. "If there are wraith on the mainland then that is something that we need to fix immediately."

"Colonel," she said turning to face John. "Get a team together and take puddlejumpers over to the mainland. You will find and destroy the wraith. Colonel Caldwell you will take the Daedalus and relocate all of the Athosians to the city. After that you'll assist Colonel Sheppard if necessary."

Caldwell didn't reply verbally, but instead took off at a dead run toward the part of the city where the Daedalus had just landed.

John hesitated.

"Go," Dr. Weir said forcefully. When he didn't leave right away she added, "Now!"

Finally he ran off in a different direction than Caldwell, heading for the jumper bay. He began giving instructions over his headset before he was even out of sight.

"Ronon," Elizabeth said, looking at the tall man. "Go." She indicated the hallway down which John had just run. He didn't need to be told twice and took off after him.

"What do you want us to do?" Teyla asked trying to sound calm.

Elizabeth sighed. "Halling I'm sorry but there's nothing you can do. Please go down to visitor's quarters and wait there."

"Of course," he responded with a nod of his head, turning to leave.

"Teyla go to see Dr. Beckett. I have no idea if any of this will effect your children, but if anyone knows it'll be him."

She nodded; all the muscles in her body were tight with tension.

"Dr. McKay," she said addressing the last person. "I'll need you with me in the gate room."

* * *

Dr. Beckett met Teyla at the entrance to the infirmary. "Teyla, the marines guarding the twins just radioed and told me that they were showing signs of…" When he noticed the look on her face he stopped. "Teyla love, what's wrong." 

She took a moment to catch her breath before responding. "They believe that there are wraith on the mainland."

"What?"

Teyla nodded her head and spoke in a rushed voice. "It is most likely that a wraith ship jumped into orbit around the planet a few days ago before descending down onto the mainland."

"Oh my god," Carson said, obviously shocked.

"John is taking a team over there right now, and Colonel Caldwell is relocating all of the Athosians to the city."

He gulped audibly. "Is there anything that I should be doing?"

Teyla nodded again. "Yes, we need to know what will happen to the twins."

"You mean because of this."

"Yes," she replied, suddenly very nervous. It wasn't like this was a common situation, and it was quite possible that something could go wrong.

"I honestly have no idea Teyla. We have no way of knowing if the wraith on the mainland are the same wraith that are possessing the twins, but it is a possibility."

She wiped suddenly sweaty palms on her pants. "And if they are?"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "It could turn out very badly."

* * *

John was powering up his jumper while all around him in the hanger bay others with the ancient gene were doing the same. He had Ford, Ronon and two marines in the jumper with him. 

"Alright," he said over his radio. "Let's go."

He closed the back door to the jumper and powered up the engines. He navigated the jumper off of the ground and out of the hanger bay with ease. The rest followed him.

It would take some time to get over to the mainland, but once they got there John wasn't sure what to expect. They had no idea what size of ship they were talking about here. He could only hope that it wasn't very large, because surely the Athosians would have detected it. But then Rodney did say something about cloaking…

John stomach was tying itself up in knots, and it finally dawned on him that he was nervous. The realization shook him. He was an experienced fighter, and had gotten out of more tough spots than anyone could count, but now he was nervous.

He tried to shake off the feeling but he couldn't. If something happened to him, if he died… he would never see his kids or Teyla again. He shuddered physically and Ford, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat, gave him an odd look.

Ignoring it he pressed the talk button on his headset. "ETA seven minutes."

* * *

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked apprehensively. She wasn't an unrealistic person but she had been hoping for some sort of reassurance, not this. 

Carson sighed. "I'm not sure what to tell you. This isn't something that I, or anyone elsefor that matter, has much experience in."

"I know," she replied, wrapping her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very cold.

"Worst case scenario… the wraith on the mainland are the wraith possessing your kids and they have a very strong connection to the twins' minds."

"And?" she asked, not sure if she even really wanted to know the answer.

"And… if they die the connection may be enough to seriously harm the twins."

Teyla struggled to fight back tears. "And by seriously harm you mean…"

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They could die."

* * *

The seven minutes felt a hell of a lot longer than they actually were. The mainland was finally insight, and John was frantically trying to figure out what to do. He had no idea how they should go about this. 

He pushed the talk button on his headset. "Atlantis this is Sheppard. We'll be there in less than one minute. Is there any specific way in which you want us to proceed?" He hoped that they had a plan of some sort, or this could be a disaster.

"Ok, there's a small energy output coming from a few kilometers north of where the Athosians are." John felt a slight surge of relief when he heard Rodney's voice. It sounded like he had a plan.

"You think it's the ship?"

"No," he said sarcastically. "I was just making conversation. Of course I think it's the ship!"

John couldn't help but smile briefly at Rodney's words. Some things never changed.

"Any way to tell how big it is?" he asked hopefully. If they could rule out the possibility of a hive ship he would be much happier.

"No."

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. Of course things couldn't be that easy.

"You should be able to detect the energy readings with the sensor equipment in the jumper.That'll give you a better idea of where it is."

"Thanks Rodney," he said. Then he addressed all the other pilots. "Make sure all the jumpers are cloaked and follow my lead."

One by one the other ships dissapeared from sight. If it weren't for the energy readings on the screen in front of him John would have thought that his jumper was the only one in the air.

He skillfully navigated the jumper over the main land, and toward the energy signal. The hope that there was no ship was quickly dashed when the reading showed up on the screen.

John located a small clearing a very short distance away from where the reading was coming from. He landed his jumper and all the others followed suit. Leaving it cloaked, but taking the remote device, he exited the jumper.

* * *

"What!" Teyla asked struggling to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. 

"It's only a possibility."

She swallowed nervously. "But it still could happen."

"I'm afraid so."

"Then we have to make sure it doesn't." Her voice was firm despite the tears that were now spilling down her cheeks.

He sighed in obvious frustration. "It's not that simple Teyla."

"You have to do something," she said sternly as she met his gaze.

He shook his head regretfully. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"Something," she cried out. "Anything."

Carson tried to reach out and place his hand on her arm to calm her down, but she stepped out of reach and tightened her arms around herself.

"Fine," she spat out as she turned and began to walk away.

"Teyla where are you going?"

She paused and looked back over her shoulder before answering. "To try and do something." She knew that none of this was Carson's fault but that didn't stop her from using a caustic tone.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Teyla there's nothing…"

"They are my children Dr. Beckett! I can't do nothing." She had to fight the overwhelming urge to sob at the hopelessness of the situation.

"All right," he said quietly. "Let me get some things and I'll come with you. I'll see if there isn't anything that I can do."

* * *

John crouched down in the bushes, signaling to the others to do the same. Straight ahead of him was the wraith vessel, or at least it should be, they just couldn't see it. There were however five wraith walking the perimeter of the open space. 

Looking on the life signs detector he noticed that there were only seven life signs unaccounted for. The thought was enough to lift his spirits slightly. They had the wraith outnumbered two to one and they had the element of surprise.

He took a quick glance around him making sure that all of his people were in position. Then he signaled at them to open fire.

* * *

They went straight to the holding room. 

As soon as Teyla entered she noticed that Abrianna was clutching her head in her hands, her face screwed up in obvious pain. In addition to that she was leaning on Tagan who had his eyes closed.

She rushed over to her daughter's side and knelt down. Dr. Becketthovered behind her.

"Abrianna," she asked in a tear-choked voice. "Can you hear me?"

When she didn't respond Teyla shut her eyes for the briefest of moments and inhaled shakily.

"Please," she pleaded, opening her eyes again. "I need you to fight this Abri."

Just when she thought that she had no hope of getting through to her, Abrianna opened her eyes.

Teyla felt a huge surge of relief and instinctively pulled her daughter towards her and held on for dear life. She was shocked when Abrianna pulled back.

"I don't have lots of time," she said in shaky voice. She was obviously terrified.

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked, the fear coming back at twice its previous strength.

"He can't stop it for long."

Teyla's gaze shifted over to where Tagan was sitting. She hadn't noticed at first but Abrianna was holding onto his arm.

"Stop what?" she asked in a rushed voice.

"The pain," Abrianna said in a quiet voice as she met her mother's eyes. Teyla opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she was interrupted. "They want us mom," her voice was extremely shaky now. "They want to do stuff to us."

Teyla's heart constricted in her chest, and tears began to fall again.

"Daddy's there right now."

She couldn't even formulate a response. Then Abrianna convulsed once and Teyla reached toward her and called out. "Abri!"

"No mom, you have to listen." Her face was scrunched up in pain again and Teyla felt her heart breaking. "If Daddy kills him… the one who's doing this, then we're going to die."

Immediately after she said it she convulsed again and her eyes flashed dangerously. When they made eye contact again Teyla knew that she was no longer dealing with her daughter.

* * *

John and the rest of his team entered into the wraith ship. After the initial firefight, all of the wraith, barring one, had left the cruiser to investigate the noise. They had been shot down like all the others. Luckily though, when they came out they uncloaked the ship. 

They made their way through numerous corridors, heading for the very center of the ship. That's where the life sign was coming from. Quick and efficient, they found themselves entering the wraith equivalent of the bridge in very little time.

John immediately spotted him. There was a solitary wraith standing in front of one of the control panels. Oddly enough he wasn't trying to power anything up, or even attempt any sort of get away. But he had definitely seen them enter.

At one time John would have made some sarcastic remark to the wraith, and probably would have tried to get some sort of information out of him, but not now. He thought of his two adorable children and their current situation.

With a surge of rage he raised his P-90, aiming straight for the wraith's chest. He didn't care how many damn bullets it took, but the bastard was going down.

John's finger was on the trigger. As he pulled it back he heard Teyla's frantic voice come over the radio, "John stop!"

TBC


	18. Chapter 17: Emotions Run High

_Previously:_

_With a surge of rage he raised his P-90, aiming straight for the wraith's chest. He didn't care how many damn bullets it took, but the bastard was going down._

_John's finger was on the trigger. As he pulled it back he heard Teyla's frantic voice come over the radio, "John stop!"_

**Chapter 17 – Emotions Run High**

It was too late; he had already pulled the trigger. Thankfully however, his reaction time was swift and he managed to lower his P-90 so that the bullet entered into the wraith's foot instead of his chest.

"What the hell!" he screamed into the radio.

The wraith smirked at him through a grimace of pain. "If I die, so do they."

At nearly the exact same moment John heard Teyla's voice. "You _cannot_ kill the wraith that is possessing the twins. If you do…" Her voice broke off in a sob. "They will die."

He could feel his heart racing in his chest and he felt sick to his stomach. He had almost killed his children.

"John?" Teyla's desperate voice in his ear brought him back to reality. The rest of his attack team was waiting patiently for him to give orders.

"Ronon, Ford," he said. "Tie him up and put him in the jumper."

"Sir?" Ford asked skeptically.

"Do it, Lieutenant."

Ford nodded and with Ronon's help he restrained the wraith and headed out to the jumper.

John signaled at the remaining men and women to file out. Just as he was exiting the wraith ship he heard Teyla calling his name over the radio again.

"Yeah, everything's fine," he said in a shaky voice. "We're bringing the wraith back to the city."

* * *

She let out a strangled sob of relief and sank to the ground outside the holding room. Carson was hovering over her worriedly, but she barely even noticed.

"Teyla?" she heard John's voice come over Dr. Beckett's headset that she was wearing.

She pressed the talk button, but when she tried to talk all that she could manage was a muffled sob.

"Hey," John said quietly. "It's ok Teyla, I'll be there as soon as I can."

When she heard his voice cut out and the connection break she automatically handed the headset back to Carson. He took it from her shaking hand before he crouched down beside her. She knew that he was worried because she was still sobbing, but he couldn't even begin to understand the emotions that were running through her body.

He gave her arm a comforting squeeze before standing up and heading back into the holding room to check on the twins.

* * *

"Take him to the holding cell and make sure he's placed under heavy guard," John ordered as he stepped out of his jumper.

"Yes sir," Ford said as he turned to leave, followed by the wraith and an escort of marines.

Just after the group exited the hanger bay Elizabeth and Colonel Caldwell entered. Looking at him inquisitively Dr. Weir asked, "Would you care to explain Colonel?"

"Yes," Caldwell said. "I think that an explanation is required. Your orders were to destroy the wraith Colonel, not take them prisoner."

"Well I'm so sorry," he said in a sarcastic voice that would make Rodney proud.

"Colonel!" Elizabeth shouted in surprise. Caldwell just looked shocked.

The thing was that John didn't even care. There was no way in hell that he was going to apologize for saving his children's lives.

"I've been in charge of the military contingent for almost seven years!" he shouted, the day's events finally getting to him. "Now I'm not saying that there haven't been complaints about the way that I do things, but I do my job and I make decisions that I feel are the right ones." He paused just long enough to take a breath before continuing. "So when I found out that killing that wraith would kill my kids, I thought hey… maybe I don't feel like being responsible for the death of my children!"

Everyone appeared too shocked at his outburst to say anything. Elizabeth was opening and closing her mouth, but no words were coming out.

John knew that he would probably feel badly for reacting like this later, but right now he didn't care. He had so many emotions all rolling around inside of him and he honestly didn't know how else to respond

He quickly took off his vest and threw it to the ground beside one of the nearby jumpers. "If you need to know anything else ask Ford. He was there."

John started to walk out when he heard Elizabeth's voice. "John wait…"

"No," he said without even turning around to look at her. "If you need anything talk to Ford. I'm going to find Teyla."

"Colonel," Caldwell called out. "I could bring you up on charges for this."

"Go ahead," he said loudly as he exited through the door. "I don't give a damn."

* * *

Carson had left the holding room a few minutes ago and had reassured her that the twins were doing fine. It didn't stop her from feeling… well, she didn't know what she was feeling. Obviously she was relieved, and happy that the twins were ok, or at least as good as could be expected. But at the same time she was terrified. She had been so close to actually losing them and it made her feel nauseous. Plus there was the fact that they were still under the influence of the wraith, and obviously they wanted the twins for something.

Teyla shuddered and pulled her knees up to her chest. Why was this happening? The twins didn't deserve it; they were kids, not even five years old. It just wasn't fair.

She bit back a sob and rested her head on her knees. Pulling her legs in tighter towards her body, wondering if she could actually do this. She didn't know if she was strong enough to get through this. With the discovery of the wraith on the mainland the absolute seriousness of the situation had set in. Teyla knew that they were going to have to put up one hell of a fight if they were going to get out of this intact. And without question it would be harder than last time, and almost certainly more people would die.

* * *

As John passed Carson in the hallway he asked if he'd seen Teyla. He wasn't surprised when he was told that she was by the holding room.

He pushed himself through the unexpectedly crowded hallways, trying to make it there as fast as he could. When he had talked to her on the radio she had been distraught, something that he could entirely relate with. He just needed to find her and make sure that she was ok, or that she was going to be ok. He didn't think she could be, right then.

He saw the marines first, standing unmoving outside the room. It took him a few more moments to notice that Teyla was there, tucked into a corner, knees pulled tight against her chest and her head laying on them.

John felt his heart constrict at the sight. He wasn't sure how she would react so he approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her. He gently lowered himself down beside her so that he was resting against the wall beside her. By the way her back stiffened for a few moments and then relaxed, he knew that she recognized his presence.

Not knowing what else to do he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her up against his side. He didn't give a damn that half the marines were staring at them. They both needed this.

With hardly any coaxing she turned so that she was facing him partially and then wrapped her arms around his torso. She buried her head in his shoulder and John could feel the tears as they started to soak through his shirt.

He tugged her closer still and rested his head on top of hers. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. Instead he just held her close against his body. He wasn't really that surprised when he felt streaks of wetness on his cheeks.

* * *

Teyla was exhausted. She had her eyes closed and was leaning against John, focusing on the steady rise and fall of his chest. She was just starting to drift off when she felt him pull away. Confused she opened her eyes and watched as he stood up. He offered his hand to her and she reached up and took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

"Come on," he said quietly as he tugged on the hand that he hadn't released yet. He took a few steps down the hallway and she stumbled after him. He paused and asked her is she was all right. She nodded her head but he didn't look convinced. The next thing she knew he was scooping her up off the ground. She let out a weak protest, but he didn't put her down.

"You shouldn't do this John."

"Yeah well," he said in a sarcastic voice. "It's not the only time today."

She turned her head so that she could look into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

He started walking before he responded. "Don't worry about it."

As they rounded a corner she reached up and brushed her fingers along his cheek. "If something is bothering you John… you can tell me."

She was more than a little surprised when he smiled at her words. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just that after…" He paused as if changing his mind, "You're just an amazing woman Teyla."

She couldn't stop the blush from creeping onto her cheeks. Before John had time to notice she said, "You can tell me."

He sighed as he shifted her in his arms a little bit. "It's just Elizabeth and Caldwell."

"What did they do?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"They tried to reprimand me for bringing the wraith back as a prisoner, since my orders were to destroy all the wraith."

"What?" Teyla asked indignantly.

"Yeah," John huffed out. "But they can go to hell because there is no way that I'm going to apologize for saving the lives of our kids."

Teyla's heart surged at his words. He had said _our kids_.

"You ok?" he asked quietly after she remained silent for a few moments.

"Yes," she replied.

Even though she was mostly awake now she let John still carry her. As they were making their way towards the living quarters of the city she couldn't help but think about John's response to Dr. Weir and Colonel Caldwell. It brought a small smile to her face as she realized that the old John was back.

* * *

John carried Teyla down the hallway towards her quarters in silence. It was kind of odd considering that she wasn't hurt, but he didn't really care. He liked the feeling of having her in his arms.

They were finally in the living quarters section of the city, and they just had a few more turns to make before they were at Teyla's rooms. As John was passing his room Teyla told him to stop. He did, and when she asked him to put her down he did that too. It was really stupid for her to walk now. They were so close to her quarters, and she'd already let him carry her all this way.

He was surprised when she reached for his hand with one of hers and used the other to open the door to his quarters. He raised his eyebrows at her questioningly, but she just pulled him into the room behind her. She didn't stop, but instead pulled him over to the bed that was against the far wall.

John's heart began to race at the thought of Teyla in his bed, but he forced himself to remember that she had been seriously devastated only minutes before and now was not the time for that.

It was early in the evening, but John lay down beside Teyla on the bed anyway. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. She seemed to be holding up a little better than before. He figured it was probably just because the shock had worn off; he was feeling something similar.

Without even really thinking about it John reached over and brushed a few stray hairs away from Teyla's face. She let out a contented sigh and closed her eyes. He continued to run his hands lightly over the side of her face, even though the hair was no longer in the way. John couldn't force himself to stop and he continued caressing her face gently until her breathing deepened. He figured she was probably asleep.

Reluctantly he stopped and shifted his position so that he was lying on his side facing her. He didn't like the small gap that was separating them so he gently moved himself closer to her. It was if she sensed his thoughts because she rolled closer to him too, right up until she was pressed against the length of his body.

John sighed and placed a soft kiss on the top of her forehead. He moved his one arm so that it was wrapped around her shoulders, and then he pulled her closer. She nestled into his side and John couldn't resist dropping another kiss onto her hairline.

After admiring her for a long time, and letting his fingers draw lazy circles on her back, he closed his eyes. The adrenaline of the day was finally leaving his body and he was feeling drowsy. He didn't stop tracing patterns on her back though; it was soothing him.

He murmured a quiet "I love you" into her hair before he finally drifted off.

* * *

Teyla sat up abruptly as she broke free from her nightmare. Her back was clammy and her hands were shaking. She closed her eyes briefly and took a few calming breaths. When she opened them again she felt a little better, and it was then that she realized she wasn't in her quarters. She only needed to turn her head slightly to the side to see John sprawled out beside her on the bed. His face was half buried in the pillow, and he was breathing deeply.

She was glad that she hadn't woken him up. Quietly she turned to the side and placed her feet on the ground. Just as she was standing up, John rolled closer to her, as if seeking the warmth from her body. Instinctively she placed a hand on his shoulder and muttered soothing words under her breath.

She walked over toward the small bathroom area, and entered shutting the door softly behind her. She didn't bother to turn on the lights, but instead headed for the small sink and ran the taps until the water was sufficiently cool. Teyla cupped her hands underneath the stream of water and let them fill up, and then she lowered her face and splashed the cold water over it. The crispness of the water helped her to wake up a little bit, and to push the nightmare to the back of her mind. She turned off the taps, and being unable to find a towel, wiped her hands on her pants.

She exited the tiny bathroom just as quietly as she had entered it. As she was walking back toward the bed she realized that she was still wearing her boots. She changed direction and headed toward the door. Immediately she began to unlace them, planning to leave them there, as was Athosian custom.

* * *

When John started to wake up he felt cold and instinctively reached toward Teyla to pull her body closer to him. When he hand found nothing but the blanket his eyes shot open. His initial thoughts were that she was gone. He was in the process of mentally kicking himself when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

Teyla was crouched in front of the door apparently putting on her boots. It hurt him to know that she would leave this way, without saying good-bye. He'd dealt with enough of that already.

"You're leaving?" He asked sadly, his voice still groggy from sleep.

She looked surprised to see that she was awake. With a raised eyebrow she said, "No…"

He pushed himself up to a sitting position with one hand, and used the other to wipe sleep from his eyes. "You're putting your boots on," he said quietly.

He was surprised when she gave him a small smile. "I was taking them off."

It was his turn to be surprised. "What?"

As she stood up and walked back up towards the bed he saw that she was indeed bare foot. It made him smile.

Instead of coming to lie back down she paused by the foot of the bed. She pointed at his feet and then he realized that he must have forgot to take his boots of too.

"I am not the only one who forgot."

What really surprised him was when she began to undo the laces on his boots. He was going to protest, but one stern look from her cut him off before he even began. She tugged both boots off his feet and then went and placed them by hers. When she came back she tugged off his socks too. He was utterly amazed that after five years she still remembered his pet peeve about sleeping in socks.

* * *

Teyla was a little surprised that John thought she would leave, but instead of getting upset she just planned on proving to him that she wasn't leaving, not again. After pulling off his socks and dropping them on the floor, (there were at least three other pairs there), she climbed back up onto the bed.

Just as she was lying down John asked, "So you're not leaving?"

"Not unless you want me to," she said in a semi-light tone.

"No." He protested quickly, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. From his new position he was kind of leaning over her.

She smiled up at him. "I was kidding John, I am not leaving."

"Good," he said in a very heartfelt voice.

Their eyes locked and Teyla was sure that her heart paused for a moment. All of the love she saw there was astonishing, but she needed to make sure that he understood how she felt too. She didn't want any more uncertainty between them.

She reached up with one hand and wrapped it around the back of his neck, and then she pulled his head down to hers for a gentle kiss. At least it was intended to be gentle, but things heated up fairly quickly and within minutes Teyla found herself pinned to the mattress underneath John's weight.

She had just begun to tug his black shirt out of the waistband of his pants when he pulled away. "Are you sure about this Teyla?" His voice was hesitant as if he feared her answer.

"Yes," she said softly as she tried to pull his head back down to hers. He was still resisting and it frightened her, maybe he didn't want her. But the look in his eyes told her that he did.

"I just don't want to screw this up again Teyla." His eyes were pleading with her to understand and she did.

"We have a second chance John and that's more than we could have asked for." He was still looking at her skeptically. "This may be our last chance," she said quietly, forcing herself not to cry. "The wraith…"

She nearly whimpered when he pulled away from her completely. He moved back over to his side of the bed and rested his head in his hands. Sitting up she turned to look at him, waiting for him to speak.

"This isn't about the wraith Teyla. This," he said gesturing in the air between them. "This is about you and me. When we do this I want it to be because you love me, not because of any other reason."

"John…" she said quietly as he raised his head to look at her.

"No," he said. "I'll wait forever if I have to Teyla." When he saw that she was going to protest he continued. "And don't you dare say that we don't have forever."

She was actually quite shocked that he could read her so well. "John…"

He shook his head, silently telling her to be quiet. "I don't plan on dying Teyla, and you better not either. After we kick the wraith's ass, and I mean seriously kick their ass, then we can figure this out if that's what it takes. I am not going to rush this Teyla, because the last thing that I want to do right now is screw us up."

* * *

He figured that he may have been a little harsh with Teyla, but he needed her to know… to understand. There was no way that anything between them was going to work if they didn't understand each other. He understood all the emotions that she was feeling; he really did, because he was feeling them too. But the last thing that he wanted was for her to use him as an escape from them. Their relationship needed to mean more to her than that.

He sighed and looked away from her, figuring that he had probably somehow managed to screw them up anyway. When after a few minutes Teyla hadn't said or done anything he was beginning to get worried. But he didn't want to look over at her because he was afraid that she would either be crying or very angry. That's why he was surprised when he felt the bed shift under her weight and her arms wrap around him from behind.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly in his ear. He shifted his head slightly but he could only partially see her over his shoulder. He did however feel the warmth of her body pressed up against his back.

"Teyla I'm…"

"No," she interrupted softly. "Let me talk." He nodded and she continued. "I love you with all my heart John, I always have."

Her words made him happier than anything else could. He squeezed one of her hands with his own, but he didn't say anything because he knew she wasn't done.

"I just… I feel so hopeless because we have no control over this situation, none."

"Hey," he said softly, turning to try and look at her face. "We're going to win this Teyla, I'm not giving up."

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "I want to believe that John, but I've never been as strong as you."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "You're the strongest woman I know."

He saw her feeble attempt at a smile, and gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want this." He knew what she was referring to. "I do love you John, and I already feel as if I've waited too long for this." She let out a sigh and the soft rush of air brushed past his ear.

"I feel like I've been waiting forever too Teyla," he said softly. "But I don't mind waiting longer if that's what it takes to make this work. This means more to me than that… our family means more to me than that."

He was only a little bit surprised when she squeezed her arms tighter around his waist. "I love you," she said softly in his ear.

He smiled before saying, "I love you too."

"You're right," she said. "This needs to be about us."

He let out a contented sigh. "I'm glad you understand."

She nodded her head against his shoulder. "I do."

When she pulled back John turned on the bed so that he was facing her again. He returned the warm smile she gave him with a surge of relief. He hadn't screwed things up any more, and for that he was eternally grateful.

She leaned in towards him and she gave him a light kiss on the lips. John was surprised at how much more open Teyla seemed to be regarding him, but it was a pleasant surprise.

When their gazes locked again he could tell by the way she was looking at him – right into his soul – that in that moment there was only them. There was no wraith, no possible death, no upcoming fights, just them.

This time when she deepened the kiss he didn't stop her.

TBC


	19. Chapter 18: Complexity and Simplicity

**A/N: Thank you to Dani for all the help and the awesome beta. :)**

**Chapter 18 – Complexity and Simplicity**

For the next week, waking up in John's arms was the only thing that kept Teyla sane. As he tightened his hold on her, she let out a sigh and rested her back against his chest. She closed her eyes and willed herself to fall sleep. It didn't work even though she was exhausted. Very little seemed to work these days. The only thing that did was sleeping in John's arms and at the moment that wasn't doing it either.

Teyla slowly disentangled her limbs from John's and sat up on the bed. She smiled when he gripped her waist tighter in his sleep, trying to pull her close. She rested a comforting hand on his shoulder and stood up, letting her hand linger.

She walked across John's room and headed into the small bathroom, hoping that a warm shower might help to calm her racing mind. She pulled off her clothes, letting them fall onto the bathroom floor, and then after turning on the tap, she climbed into the shower. The water sluiced over her body, warming her. She methodically began to wash her body, and her thoughts started to drift.

Things were bad. Everyone in Atlantis had been working nearly non-stop for the last week, pushing their limits, and yet there had been no major break throughs. They still had no way to defeat the wraith, or to even deter them. Rodney was pushing himself too hard, and she was sure that he would end up burning out, but no one could persuade him to catch some much needed rest. She suspected that he was still working on something at that very moment, despite that it was the middle of the night. The entire lack of success worried Teyla greatly. They had no idea when the wraith would come, it could be in a few minutes or a few weeks, but either way they were as of yet defenseless against them.

As she began to rub some shampoo into her thick hair, she realized that her plan of taking a relaxing shower wasn't working. It was just making her worry even more. Then there were the twins.

She sighed and shut off the shower, standing there for a few minutes, letting the water drip from her body. Wearily, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from where John had left it sitting on the counter. She used it to dry herself off. She pulled on her underwear, but then instead of putting her clothes back on, she grabbed a shirt that John had also left in the bathroom. She pulled it over her head. It was large enough that it hung to nearly her knees, but what was better was that it was comforting.

Teyla picked up her clothes off of the floor and tossed them into the laundry hamper that was near the door. Then she opened the bathroom door as quietly as she could and stepped out into the dark room. She slowly made her way across to the bed and walked over to the far side. As she was pulling back the covers to crawl in she noticed that John was taking up not only his side of the bed, but hers as well. She didn't want to wake him, but she saw no other choice.

"John," she whispered quietly, shaking his shoulder at the same time. "Move over."

He grumbled in his sleep but he didn't wake up. Suddenly an image of Tagan filled her mind, reminding her of how he did the exact same thing when someone tried to wake him up. She ignored the stinging in her eyes.

"John," she said again, a little bit louder this time.

His head jerked up from the pillow and his eyes flew open. "Wha?"

"Move over," she whispered.

She didn't know if he was fully awake or not, but he did shift back over to his side of the bed. Teyla slide in next to him and pulled the covers up over her shoulders, trying to block the chill she was feeling from her wet hair.

Before she even had the chance to snuggle up against John's side, his arm was around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She noticed that his eyes were closed but as he pulled her head down onto his shoulder they shot open. Looking at her he asked, "Why is your hair wet?"

She nearly laughed at the confused look on his face. "I had a shower."

He raised he eyebrows but didn't say anything.

Teyla turned onto her side, fitting herself comfortably against John's body. She rested her hand on his bare hip, his shirt having slid up to reveal a thin strip of skin.

"Is that my shirt?" he asked sounding amused.

Dodging his question she said, "Be quiet. I am trying to sleep."

He let out a snort, sounding like he was trying to stop from laughing.

She lay there for a few moments, just focusing on the rise and fall of John's chest. It was relaxing in a way. But when he let out a sigh she opened her eyes and turned her head so that she could peer at him through the darkness.

He met her gaze before quietly apologizing. "Sorry."

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly as she placed one elbow on John's stomach, using it to prop herself up.

He didn't say anything, and for a second she thought he wasn't going to answer. He ran his hand through her damp hair before saying, "It's just weird."

"What is?" she questioned, becoming concerned at the way he was staring off behind her.

He shifted his eyes back to meet hers. "Nothing," he said quietly.

She raised her eyebrows and glared at him with what she hoped was an intimidating look.

"Nice look Teyla."

"What's wrong?" she asked again, ignoring his comment.

He let out another sigh. "I'm not going to get you to drop this am I?" It was a rhetorical question. "It's just… I don't know how this is possible."

He paused and she wasn't sure if he was going to finish. She laid her head down onto his shoulder again, and wrapped her arm around his stomach in an odd one-armed hug. "How what is possible?"

"Being so happy, but at the same time… being so sad."

She knew exactly what he meant.

"I mean this," he said waving his hand in the air. "This… us, this is great. I've never been happier in some ways." He took a deep breath. "But everything else that's going on…" He let his voice drift off, not finishing his sentence.

"I know," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," he said firmly. "I know you haven't been sleeping well and I'm just keeping you up."

She smiled against his chest and gave him a squeeze with her arm. "It's fine."

"Well," he said. "Whether it's fine or not, I'm shutting up now so that you can get some sleep."

After a few minutes John was asleep again, and Teyla was just lying there, thinking. He was right. This was the happiest she had been in years, but it was also the worst she had been in years. It was so disconcerting. She was just glad that she had John to help her through it.

In the last week they had fallen right back into their previous friendship, but it was now so much more than that too. She couldn't ask for a better relationship. It was stable, John was stable, and that was exactly what she needed.

* * *

John and Teyla headed toward the mess hall only a few hours later. As tired as they both were, they wanted to get an early start, hoping that they'd make some progress for a change.

Teyla had originally wanted to go down and to see the twins, but John managed to persuade her otherwise. It wasn't that he thought she shouldn't be visiting them; it's just that whenever she did it really upset her, especially with their recent increased periods of lucidity. Seeing the twins revert back to themselves for a time, only to be taken over again was something that John could barely stand to endure, and he knew it was the same for Teyla, despite how much they both wanted to be there.

After they ate a quick meal they headed to the gate room to try and find Dr. Weir and Rodney, to see if they had made any progress. As they passed the infirmary Dr. Beckett stepped out. He looked surprised to see them but he recovered very quickly.

"Teyla, Colonel Sheppard," he said acknowledging each of them in turn. "I was actually just on my way to look for you. I think I may have found a way to help Tagan and Abrianna."

John's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he suddenly felt nervous. He glanced over and saw Teyla's face brighten with hope. "What?" she asked anxiously as she reached over and grasped John's hand in hers.

"Until these last couple of days I wasn't sure that it had a chance of working. But now that we seem to understand a bit more about the current situation I think this has a fighting chance of succeeding."

Teyla opened her mouth to speak, probably about to ask what Beckett was thinking of, but Carson cut her off. "This may take a while to explain, so we might as well step inside," he said, motioning with his hand towards the infirmary door.

John followed Carson in, and Teyla followed him, their hands still linked. Beckett led them over to his desk that was against the far wall of the spacious room.

As John sat in a chair beside Teyla and in front of Carson's desk, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. When Beckett started talking, Teyla tightened her grip on his hand.

"Now this plan," he said, talking smoothly. "If it succeeds then the children will be free from wraith control." He paused to take a deep breath.

"As you know the children have been regressing back to themselves for short periods of time, briefly being free from the wraith. But as of now, they have never both been free at the same time. It is one child or the other, not both. I think that when one of the twins breaks the connection with the wraith they are only partially breaking the connection."

John wanted badly to start questioning Carson right then and there, but he held back because he knew that he wasn't finished explaining.

Beckett took another breath before continuing on. "I'm not sure if you know this, there has been speculation for a long time that twins have a special sort of mental connection to each other. It's something that people have tried to prove many times on Earth, but other than the description of such things by someone who is a twin, it hasn't been proven. But as we know there are many unexplained things on Earth, which can in fact be explained with the proper technology and information. Now I'm not saying that we have a way to prove that this mental connection exists, but I don't doubt that it does."

Carson looked like he was about to start talking in earnest about discovering this mental connection, but then he paused, his mouth open. "Sorry," he said. "That's not really important." _Thank you,_ John thought as Beckett continued speaking. "The important thing is that a connection of this type most likely exists between Tagan and Abrianna. Effectively when one of the twins breaks out of contact with the wraith, they are only mostly out of contact. They are however still connected through the other twin."

John heard Teyla pipe up from beside him. "If they are still connected, even through a third party, how come they do not show the signs of wraith possession?" John was glad that she had asked that because he was wondering the same thing.

Carson was quick to answer. "This is where it becomes interesting," he said passionately, but he lost some of the oomph in his voice when John glared at him. "The twins have a unique genetic make up, they have both the ancient gene and the wraith gene. The wraith part of their DNA is what is allowing the wraith to take control over them in the first place. The unusual strength of the wraith's control over them may be related to their genetic make up, or it could be due to their young age. But that's not important." He paused, trying to get back on track.

"The ancient gene has given the twins enhanced mental abilities, or at least that's what I'm guessing at this stage since I can't run accurate tests. Now I've been observing the twins as much as I could this past week and it seems to me that Tagan has the healing power of the ancients, maybe not in full strength, but enough that when Abrianna becomes lucid and Tagan touches her, she loses some of the pain.

"As far as I can tell, Abrianna doesn't have the healing power, but instead seems to have increased mental control, though to what extent I'm not sure. One reason that I think this is because Abrianna regresses far more often and for longer times than Tagan, although theoretically there should be no difference."

"You told us about this yesterday!" John said heatedly.

"Indeed you did Dr. Beckett," Teyla said. John noticed that she wasn't even able to keep the impatience out of her voice.

"I'm sorry," Carson said quietly. "I just needed to make sure that we're all on the same page here."

When both John and Teyla nodded their understanding, he continued.

"I believe that it's this ancient… power, if you will, that's allowing Abrianna to break free of the wraith's control more often, but it's her connection to Tagan that is not allowing her to escape the control completely. I also have no doubts that if she were to escape the control she would not fall back under the wraith's influence again."

"How do you know that?" John asked impatiently.

"With her increased mental capacity she should have no problem blocking the wraith."

Teyla leaned forward in her chair and began to talk. "So what you are saying is that if there were some way for Abrianna to break the connection completely then she would remain free?" Her voice was hopeful, but also tinted with despair. "But what about Tagan?"

Carson looked back and forth between John and Teyla before he spoke. "This is where it gets more difficult. Now I have no way of knowing if this will work or not, but at the same time it's a better option than doing nothing." He paused and glanced back and forth between them again. "Once Abrianna is free from the wraith control she and Teyla will need to connect through the wraith networking link and somehow free Tagan." Carson folded his hands and placed them on his desk, assumedly done his explanation.

"That's your plan?" John asked, his voice raising.

"Yes Colonel," Dr. Beckett said. "It's the best, and quite honestly, the only one that I could come up with that has a chance of working."

"What if they can't break the connection that Tagan has with the wraith?"

"Well," he said. "That's a distinct possibility."

"So?" John asked impatiently.

"In that case you would have one child free from the wraith."

"But not the other one!" John said angrily.

Teyla placed her hand on John's arm. "He's right, we need to try this, to try something."

He could hear the desperation in his voice and he knew that she was right. He just wished there was a better, more sure way, to save both of his kids.

"Ok," he said quietly after taking a semi-calming breath. "What's to stop the wraith from repossessing Tagan once he's… you know, unpossessed?"

"Someone will have to kill the wraith in the holding cell as soon as we're sure that Tagan is free from his influence."

"I've got no problem with that," John said, not even trying to keep the malice out of his voice.

He heard Teyla shift in her chair beside him and he turned to glance at her. She looked worried, but it wasn't like he blamed her. When she spoke her voice was filled with concern. "This sounds like it might work Dr. Beckett, but how are we supposed to sever the connection between Tagan and Abrianna?"

"Yeah?" John asked. "That's kind of important."

"I realize that it is Colonel. Unfortunately this is another part of the plan that may or may not work."

"What?" Teyla asked quietly.

"The only way that I can think of to sever the connection, as you phrased it, is to give Tagan a massive dose of sedative. As much as his body can physically handle."

"How the hell is that supposed to help?" John asked, suddenly getting frustrated with the complexity of the plan. "I thought the sedatives weren't working on them anymore."

"They're not," Carson said. "But they do however have an immediate effect once given. It should take hours for the sedative to wear off, but instead it takes only minutes for the twins. Giving them repeated doses to keep them sedated would harm them, so we stopped. But we only need a few minutes to do what we're hoping too. If we give a big enough dosage to Tagan he will need to use all of his ancient healing powers to help the clean the drug out of his system."

"So you're saying that the twins were fighting the sedative before this, not the wraith?"

"Aye, that's what we think was happening."

John was confused. "But how is that even going to help? I mean they're still twins, nothing can change that."

"No, that can't be changed," Carson said. "But Tagan seems to be using his healing powers to help Abrianna. If he is focusing on using them on himself, the connection between the two of them will lessen, hopefully enough for Abrianna to break free from the wraith control completely."

"Also," Teyla said. "The sedative is what helped to stop the wraith influence the first time is it not?"

"Yes it is love."

"So then if Tagan has a large enough dose that in itself might be enough to sever the connection."

"Aye," Carson said. "I hadn't thought of that. And if it is then someone need only to kill the wraith, and when Tagan wakes up he will be groggy, but very much himself."

"Ok," John said. "That sounds good but why did the sedative ever work in the first place? You said it's only working for a few minutes, but I remember that the twins were quite clearly sedated for hours after the first time."

"Aye, they were. But they've changed since then. I think it's connected to their genetic make up."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean Colonel is that the first wraith influence triggered something in their DNA. And don't ask me what, because I'm not sure. But it seems to have initiated their powers."

"You know what?" John asked in a hopeful voice. "Despite all these speculations and uncertainties, this plan just might work."

Carson face light up and he looked like he was going to say something positive until he paused. Switching tracks he said, "Unfortunately when Tagan is sedated there is no way to know if he's still being possessed, at least not until he wakes up and then it might be too late."

"There is."

They both turned to look at Teyla, waiting for her to explain.

"If I enter into the wraith connection I should be able to link with the wraith that is in the holding cell. I will be able to tell if they are still connected."

"Teyla are you…"

"I will be able to," she said, giving John a look that left no room for question.

"Ok," he said. "I guess we have a plan."

* * *

They made their way to the gate room as quickly as they could, needing to tell Dr. Weir about the plan as soon as possible. Once they did that they could put it into action. Teyla was nervous, probably more nervous than she'd ever been before, but they needed to do this and to do it soon.

When they arrived Dr. Weir wasn't there but a technician told them that she had just gone into her office to discuss something with Dr. McKay. Teyla followed closely behind John as he made he way to the office and entered it.

"We need to talk to you Elizabeth," John said quickly as soon as he had stepped over the threshold.

"Colonel," she said from where she was sitting behind her desk. "There's something that we need to discuss with you too."

Rodney stood up and turned around to face the doorway. "We've finally got something." Teyla couldn't help but notice how exhausted he looked.

"What?" John asked.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "We've got something, as in something that will help give us information about the wraith."

He didn't even wait for anyone to acknowledge what he just said, and instead plunged right ahead into his explanation. "Zelenka and I have been working on figuring out the wraith ship that's on the mainland. Despite all of our previous encounters with wraith technology, we were having problems with this."

"You must be losing your touch Rodney."

He just glared at John before continuing on. "Well to make a long story short, we finally managed to translate most of the control panels and download the information off of the computers."

"And…"

"And we know what the ship is for," Rodney said using _that_ tone. "We've never seen one before because they're the wraith version of stealth ship. Now the bad thing is that there's a reason we had a difficult time translating the information and downloading it. This ship isn't the same design as the others because it was made by different wraith."

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked hesitantly, sure that she would not like the answer.

"The logs on the ship show us that it's from another galaxy… another galaxy where there are wraith."

"And this is helping us how?" John asked angrily. "I don't think knowing that there's a whole other set of bad guys out there is comforting in any way."

"Well if you would just shut up and let me finish!"

"Rodney!" Elizabeth said in a warning tone.

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly before reverting back to a more serious tone. "I never said that this was comforting; I said it would give us information about the wraith." He paused for the briefest of moments to catch his breath. "As it turns out once we got the ship powered up, and the information translated, we were able to pull up the coordinates of every wraith ship in this galaxy."

"And?" John asked anxiously.

"And the bad news is that they're all heading straight for us."

"Damn it!" John cried out. Teyla was tempted to do the same.

"What do we plan on doing now?" Teyla asked, still trying to wrap her mind around everything that had been thrown at her in the last hour or so.

"That's just it," Rodney said. "We need a plan."

"Hold on," John said sounding excited, Teyla turned to eye him suspiciously.

"Do you have something John?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Maybe," he said. "You said that it's a stealth ship right?"

"Were you not listening?"

"Good," John said, ignoring the sarcastic response. "How stealthy is it?'

"I don't know," McKay said tensely. "It's stealthy alright. You'd have to be almost on top of a hive ship before being detected."

"Now that's exactly what I wanted to hear," John said eagerly.

"What are you thinking?" Elizabeth asked, walking around to stand in front of her desk.

Teyla was surprised when he grinned. "I'm thinking that we take that stealth ship and beam a nuke onto every wraith ship coming our way."

McKay threw his hands up in the air, as if he was disgusted. "That's not going to… wait," he said impatiently. "Yes, that might just work."

"How?" Elizabeth asked.

It was Rodney who answered. "During the last time that we were fighting the wraith we discovered something interesting about their shielding technology."

"Yes, I remember," Dr. Weir said calmly.

Teyla struggled to remember what they had learned all that time ago. "Do they not activate only when they sense another ship approaching them?"

"Exactly!" Rodney cried out. "Since this is a stealth ship it should have no problem getting in close enough to the wraith ships without them detecting it. Close enough to beam a nuke on board."

Dr. Weir looked confused. "Aren't all the ships traveling together?"

Rodney nodded.

"Don't they have their shields up then, because they're all so close?"

"Normally yes," Rodney said. "But when they stop to feed they need to lower their shields so that the darts can go down to the planet, and so that travel between the hives is possible." He took a deep breath. "So if we catch them at a feeding stop then we won't have a problem."

"So we can do this?" She asked, sounding unsure and hopeful at the same time. "We can defeat the wraith again?"

"I believe so… yes, we can."

"We have the ability to nuke all of those ships at the same time?"

"With the ZPM that I was able to partially re-power, yes we do."

"I'm sorry," Dr. Weir said. "This just sounds… too easy."

"Well," John said, wearing a shit-eating grin. "If simple works…"

"True enough," Elizabeth said. "Alright Rodney, I'm leaving you in charge of this. Do whatever you need to get that ship functional for this plan. I want it done yesterday."

He nodded his head and pushed past John and Teyla out of the door.

"John I want you with him when they go."

Teyla watched as John hesitated before replying. "Ok, but first we need to talk to you about the twins." Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up in surprise but she didn't say anything so John continued. "Carson's found a way to free them from the wraith's control."

"Do it," she said, not hesitating for a second.

John looked flabbergasted and Teyla was surprised too. "Don't you want to hear the plan?"

She shook her head before replying. "No. I trust your decision John. If you think this will work then do it."

Teyla felt another surge of hope, and when she glanced over at John she knew he was feeling the same. This was it. This was the only way to save their kids and they were going to do it.

TBC


	20. Chapter 19: Game Time

**Chapter 19 – Game Time**

They rushed back to the infirmary to tell Carson that their plan was a go. He seemed a little shocked that Elizabeth had accepted the idea so quickly, but John just told him not to worry about it. It didn't matter why, it just mattered that they were going to do this.

John told Carson to grab anything he might need, because they were all heading down to the holding room as soon as he was ready. While Beckett was rushing around and grabbing the few things that he needed John waited impatiently by the door. Teyla stood next to him, but he only got a little comfort out of her presence. He was too agitated, and he had too many 'what ifs' running around in his head to be calmed by it.

His mind was racing over the plan when he felt her arm encircle his waist. He was a little startled, but he still moved into the contact, embracing her in return.

After a few seconds she pulled away and John saw the worried look in her eyes. He wished there was something he could do to alleviate it, but there wasn't. There was a lot riding on this plan and it was impossible for them not to be nervous.

Just as John was about to try to say something comforting, Beckett walked up, medical bag in hand. "I'm ready."

John nodded and headed out of the infirmary with Teyla beside him and Carson following closely behind. He didn't run through the hallways, but he walked fast enough that he could hear Carson jogging to keep up.

They used a transporter to help get them there quicker. As they approached, the two guards saluted him sharply.

"At ease," he said and they both relaxed their stance. "Let them in," he ordered. Both of the guards looked at him questioningly, but in the end they opened the door.

Instead of going in as John suspected she would, Teyla held back by his side. "You're not coming in with us?" she asked as she looked up to meet his eyes.

He shook his head, somewhat confused by her statement. "No," he said firmly. "I've got a wraith to kill."

This time Teyla shook her head. "You do not, we need you here."

"Someone needs to kill that wraith…" he began.

"Someone," Teyla said in agreement. "That someone does not have to be John Sheppard."

He was rather surprised at the look she was giving him, it was one that said don't mess with me. He decided to anyway. "Yes, it does."

"No it does not," she said firmly.

He sighed at her insistence. "_Someone_ needs to kill that wraith. Besides, I can't even help if I'm here."

She reached across the small distance between them and grasped his hands in hers. "I need you to be here John. In case… If something goes wrong."

The pleading in her eyes was too much and he felt his resolution caving before he even knew what was happening. "Ok," he said quietly.

"Thank you," she said sincerely as she let go of his hands and moved to follow Dr. Beckett into the room. When he wasn't directly behind her she turned to look over her shoulder at him expectantly.

He nodded, letting her know that he was coming. Then he pressed the talk button on his radio. "Ronon, you there?" he asked, walking away from the door. He didn't want the wraith to have a chance to hear this, just in case.

"Yeah," he heard loudly in his ear.

"How do you feel about killing a wraith?"

"That's the best thing I've heard all day," was the eager response, well as eager as you could get from Ronon.

"Good," John replied. "Head to the holding cell, tell the guards that I sent you, and then wait."

"Wait for what?" he asked in an odd sounding voice, John could tell he was already on his way there.

"Wait until I give you the command to kill him. Sheppard out."

John walked back toward the holding room and entered it, hearing the door slide shut behind him. The first thing he noticed was Teyla and Carson crouched near the twins, but not too close in case they tried something.

He walked over and crouched down beside Teyla. "What now?" he asked, shifting his gaze back and forth between Beckett and Teyla.

It was Carson who answered. "Now we wait."

* * *

John was leaning against the wall and tapping his right foot impatiently against the floor, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet room. There wasn't much time left until the stealth ship would be ready to go, and he'd need to leave, with or without seeing this plan to save his kids through. He opened his mouth to ask Beckett how much longer, but he abruptly closed it again when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

He leaned forward suddenly, turning his head to get a better look at the twins, forcing Teyla to bring her head off of his shoulder. "You see that?" he asked anxiously.

Carson nodded. "Aye, I did." He was already preparing the syringe and Teyla had stood up and was walking over to where the twins were. She crouched down beside Abrianna just as her shoulders twitched again and her face scrunched up.

John pressed the talk button on his radio. "Get ready Ronon."

"Ready when you are," was the response he got.

"Standby," he replied as he stood up and walked over to stand behind Teyla.

He watched as his daughter convulsed once before opening her small brown eyes. "Mom?" she asked in a scared voice.

Teyla pulled her forward into a hug, whispered something into her hair and stood up, immediately passing her to John. At the same time Carson injected the contents of the syringe into Tagan's small arm, almost instantly he slouched forward, the drug taking effect.

"What's happening?" Abrianna asked in a shaky voice as she clung to John's neck. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her small body against him as tight as he dared to. His eyes were moist with tears but he didn't let them fall.

"We're saving you," he said sternly and she buried her face in his shoulder. He could feel her shaking.

Teyla place her hand lightly on the top of Abrianna's head. "You must block the wraith Abri. Can you do that?"

She nodded her head against his shoulder and he had to fight the urge to hold her tighter.

"Are you doing it right now?" Teyla asked quickly, but quietly.

She nodded her head once more. John watched as Teyla closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. A quick glance told him that Tagan was still being effected by the sedative. He lifted one hand to hover over the talk button on his radio. This was it.

* * *

Teyla made sure that Abrianna was blocking the wraith, and then after taking a few deep breaths, she closed her eyes and searched for the wraith in her mind. He wasn't hard to find.

Luckily he wasn't paying attention to her, giving her a chance to merely observe. It was odd, she could see Ronon through his eyes, waiting at the door to the cell, gun raised. The wraith was fighting to gain control over Abrianna again, but he couldn't. Carson was right; she must have enhanced mental abilities. She wouldn't have been able to fend off the wraith otherwise.

"Not yet!" Teyla said suddenly, her eyes still closed. The wraith still had a weak connection with Tagan, but she could see… no feel it fading, bit by bit. She just hoped that it would fade fully before Tagan fought off the effects of the drug.

She heard Carson's voice calling her name, but it sounded distant, not like he was standing right beside her. "Teyla, we're running out of time. He's waking up."

Her heart rate doubled with Beckett's last words. If they killed the wraith too soon then Tagan would die too, and if they waited too long the connection would begin to strengthen again. Just a few seconds longer…

"Now!" she shouted.

Distantly she heard John relay the message over the radio. Then everything went black.

* * *

John was about to cry out in triumph until he saw Teyla fall to the floor. His happiness was quickly replaced by dread, and he felt his heart constrict in his chest. He was sure that he stopped breathing for a second.

The plan had worked; Ronon had verified the wraith's death over the radio and Abrianna, although shaken, was safe in his arms, and Tagan was just waking up. Why hadn't he thought of the risk to Teyla? There was obviously one, but he hadn't even thought of it, and now…

"Teyla," he choked out, fearing the worst.

Still holding Abrianna he knelt down beside her body, while Beckett did the same on the other side.

After checking for a pulse Beckett let out a huge sigh of relief. "She's alive."

John let out a shaky breath. "What happened?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm, so as not to worry the kids.

"I don't know Colonel," Beckett said, giving him a sympathetic look. "We'll take her back to the infirmary, I'll run some tests…"

He was cut off by Tagan's voice. "She's fine," he said groggily. He stumbled across the short distance to where Teyla was lying, and sat down beside her head.

John watched in amazement as he placed his small hands on Teyla's temples, and closed his eyes. He questioned Beckett with a look, but the only answer that he got was a shrug of his shoulders.

They watched for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only about a minute, as Tagan sat there with his hands on Teyla's head. Then John heard a small groan pass from her parted lips.

"Teyla?" he asked hopefully, placing the hand that wasn't holding Abrianna, lightly on Teyla's shoulder.

Suddenly Tagan removed his hands and stood up, still wobbling a little bit.

"John?" she said quietly.

His heart surged as he realized that she was going to be ok. "Yeah?" he asked quietly.

"Did it work?' she asked nervously as she opened her eyes. It looked like it was taking her a lot of effort.

Her eyes sought out his and he nodded his response, not able to keep the smile off of his face. "It worked."

He heard a huff and broke the gaze to look up at where Tagan was standing. He had his arms folded across his chest, and he looked angry.

"I can't believe I was saved by a girl."

* * *

Teyla watched from her seat on an infirmary bed as John reluctantly exited the room. She didn't want him to go, but she had forced him to anyway. The stealth ship was going to be leaving in less than an hour and he needed to be getting ready.

She turned to look at the twins sitting side by side on the bed next to hers. Abrianna was waiting patiently but Tagan was swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, and fidgeting as Carson checked him over.

"I'm fine," he said for what was probably the fifth time.

"Aye, I believe you are. I just need to make sure."

Teyla grinned as he let out an indignant huff and crossed his arms in front of him, finally staying still enough for Dr. Beckett to do his job. She knew that she should probably be reprimanding her son for his impolite behavior, but she just couldn't.

Once Beckett gave him the all clear he hopped off the bed before walking over to hers and jumping up on it. He snuggled up against her side, which was uncharacteristic for him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and placed a kiss on his head.

"Mom," he whined, running a hand through his hair as if he could brush the kiss away. Teyla just laughed and hugged him closer.

It took Carson a lot less time to look over Abrianna, and within a minute she had climbed up onto the bed too, on Teyla's other side.

Beckett looked at each of the kids in turn, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to move so that I can make sure your mother is alright."

Tagan hopped off the bed muttering, "She's fine," under his breath. Abrianna on the other hand wouldn't jump down until Teyla coaxed her too.

A few minutes later Beckett said, "As far as I can tell, you're fine."

"Told you so," Tagan said rudely.

But before Teyla could scold him for it Abrianna said, "Be quiet."

Teyla had to keep her mouth from falling open, and from the look on Carson's face he was having the same reaction. The funny thing was Tagan actually looked a bit embarrassed, and he did stop talking.

Obviously not sure what to say, Carson just kept talking. "I can only assume that it's a reaction to having the link between you and the wraith broken so quickly. Mental whiplash I guess you could say."

"Thank you," she said as she stood up. She did indeed feel fine now. According to both John and Dr. Beckett, Tagan had effectively healed her. It made her a little nervous to think about it, knowing that her kids had these… powers. It was just something that they would have to deal with, but in the mean time there was another plan about to be put into action.

* * *

John buckled his vest with shaky hands. He left his quarters, and after making a quick stop at munitions storage, walked to the jumper bay. He wished more than anything that he had time to say goodbye to Teyla and the twins, but they needed to leave in ten minutes or they would miss the wraith at their next feeding stop. Trying one last time to shake off his nerves, John walked into the jumper bay.

Rodney was already waiting by the jumper that Ford had prepped for them. He didn't see Teyla until she stepped directly in front of him, the twins standing on either side of her. He had to brace his hands on her shoulders so that he wouldn't run into her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

She was smiling so John figured that it couldn't be that bad. "We wanted to wish you good luck."

He grinned and both kids hugged his legs. He looked down and gave each of their shoulders a squeeze before turning his gaze back up to Teyla. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Once the kids let go Teyla pulled him into a tight embrace. He held on for dear life, for the first time ever not wanting to go on a mission. It was the first time he'd ever had so much to lose.

"Be safe," she whispered against his chest, and he could tell that she was holding back tears just like he was.

He nodded against her shoulder. "I will," he responded softly. "Take care of the twins."

"I will," she murmured softly. "I love you John."

He smiled into her hair. "I love you too."

Reluctantly he pulled back. Not able to resist the urge he dipped his head and kissed her once on the lips. It wasn't passionate, but it was filled with love.

"Ok, enough of the happy family moment. Can we go now?"

Ignoring Rodney, John gave Teyla one last chaste kiss before resting a hand lovingly on both of the twins' heads. "I should…" He pointed behind him toward the jumper and the irritated scientist.

Teyla nodded her head. "Go," she said firmly. "We will be here when you get back."

He had to force himself to turn and walk away, but his willpower wasn't strong enough to keep him from looking back over his shoulder twice. They were his thee reminders of why he needed to make it back from this.

* * *

John landed the jumper in the clearing, beside the wraith ship. Rodney and him exited the jumper and headed straight for the stealth ship. Zelenka met them at the door.

"Everything's ready," he said, handing Rodney a computer of some kind.

"Thanks," Rodney said hastily.

Then he indicated that John should enter the ship. Once he did Rodney entered behind him and closed the door, sealing it with a button on the wall.

"Zelenka isn't coming?" John asked worriedly.

"No," Rodney responded as he pushed past him heading for the main room of the ship. John followed him. "Weir's going to need someone there if this plan doesn't work."

"I thought this was going to work," John said worriedly.

Rodney let out an angry sigh as he walked into the control room and headed over to a console, the main one. "It _should _work. But our ideas have a tendency to never go according to plan." He paused the rapid movement of his fingers on the console in front of him. "In fact, I don't think we've ever had something go according to plan."

John leaned against the console and looked directly at Rodney. "Well now's a damn good time for it to start."

* * *

By the time they had broken out of the atmosphere John had gotten the hang of flying the ship. Considering his previous experience with wraith darts, it wasn't all that hard. Except for this part.

"So how am I supposed to get this ship into hyperdrive?" he asked and he stared at the 'driving' console in front of him. Maybe it would help more if he could read wraith.

Rodney stepped up behind him. "When I tell you to, press this combination of buttons." John watched as his fingers flew over the buttons.

"A bit slower Rodney."

"Fine," he growled and repeated the actions at a pace that was much easier to follow. "Got it?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer he returned to where he was working on the ZPM.

It was almost depleted so it was useless for defending the city, but according to Rodney it had enough oomph to carry out their plan. Unfortunately, also according to Rodney, it was extremely hard to interface with the wraith ship and the asgard beaming mechanism.

"How's it coming?" John asked eyeing Rodney's work warily.

"Good enough," he said. "If I had more time I could do better, but for what we need to do this will be fine."

John watched Rodney put the finishing touches on the interface.

"I think we're done," he said proudly.

"You think?" John asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I'm sure," McKay said angrily, turning to glare at him.

"That," John said indicating the mess of wiring at the bottom of Rodney's console. "That will beam nukes onto every wraith ship at the feeding stop?" He knew he sounded skeptical, but it was a huge knot of wires, something that definitely wasn't deadly looking.

"Yes. It will," he said, obviously still annoyed. "The nukes are all sitting in the storage room, and the computers are already locked onto them. Once the wraith ships get to us, it'll take me less than a minute to lock onto all of their coordinates. Then…"

"Boom?" John suggested breaking into a smile

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Well if you insist on being so immature, then yes, boom." He imitated an explosion with his hands and John had to hold back a laugh.

"So… what now?" he asked.

"Well what do you think?" Rodney asked in a snarky voice. Not waiting for an answer he said, "Type in what I showed you."

* * *

John's stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch as they exited hyperdrive at what they had calculated to be the wraith's next feeding stop. Luckily they had made it there before the wraith.

John flew the ship behind a small moon, opting for extra caution and secrecy despite the fact it was a stealth ship. They would wait there until they saw the ships on the sensor. As he waited John forced himself to take deep breaths and concentrate. Even though he hated to do it, he tried to drive all thoughts of his family out of his head. If he thought about them… he'd get too nervous, get distracted, and lastly jeopardize their mission.

When the first hive ship showed up John flew out from behind the moon, making his way toward the growing fleet. He couldn't see them because of the stupid way the wraith designed their ships, but he was becoming increasingly nervous as more and more blips appeared on his screen.

"Exactly how many ships are there?" he asked nervously over his shoulder, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"Seventeen," Rodney said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Seventeen!" John asked, not even trying to hide his surprise as he turned to look at Rodney.

"I didn't tell you?" He asked innocently.

"No you didn't," John replied curtly. "Do we have enough nukes?"

"Ok, genius here," Rodney said pointing a finger towards his chest. "We have enough nukes."

"Okay," John said warily, turning back to his control panel. Looking down at the sensor screen he saw that there were no more dots appearing. "I think they're all here."

"Ok," Rodney said. "Just give me a minute…" His voice drifted off as he began to work rapidly on the handheld computer.

John was getting close, really close. They were near the edge of the fleet. He just hoped that Rodney was right about the stealth ship part of their plan. "Ready?" he asked nervously.

"Just a few more… Got it!"

He watched over his shoulder as Rodney typed in a sequence of symbols on the main control panel, giving the last one an emphatic push.

John eyes flashed back down to the screen in front of him as the console began to emit an odd beeping noise. There were symbols flashing on the screen.

"Rodney…" he said nervously.

"It's some sort of countdown," he said quickly. "And before you ask me I don't know for how long."

"You don't know!" John screamed, turning to glare at Rodney briefly.

"Just get us out of here!" he said, waving his hands frantically in the air. "We have seventeen nukes about to explode."

John took a deep breath to focus and he brought his hands back to the flying controls. He powered up the sub light engines to full and flew them straight away from the fleet. He just hoped that they'd make it away fast enough.

Then he felt a shock wave shake the ship.

"This could get a little bumpy," he warned Rodney as he tried to keep the ship steady.

Then, before he knew what was happening, Rodney had pushed him out of the way, right onto the floor. He began entering something into his control panel.

"What the…" he started, but he stopped when he felt the lurch that meant they had entered hyperdrive.

The ship immediately steadied and John stood up, rubbing his tender backside. "You could have just told me to take us into hyperdrive."

Rodney looked at him, "You wouldn't have been fast enough."

John glared at him before taking back control of the 'driving panel'. "That's it?" he asked hopefully, even though he knew that it was.

Rodney nodded. "That's it, although I do think…"

"Rodney," John said abruptly. "I don't care." He took a deep breath. "The wraith are gone?"

"You saw as well as I did that all that they all disappeared on the sensors. So why would you…"

"Why would I think otherwise?" John asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Because it was easy, because it went exactly according to plan." Not that he was complaining though. Easy was good, according to plan was good, it meant he was on his way home. And his home was safe.

Rodney gave him a pondering glance. "Maybe we should try simple more often."

John had to fight the urge to slam his head into the console in front of him. Considering that he was a genius, McKay could be a real idiot sometimes.

* * *

Teyla waited anxiously in the jumper bay with the twins. She needed to be here when John got back, because he was coming back.

Just then she heard a voice crackle over her radio. "Atlantis this is Sheppard," he paused and Teyla could hear his smile. "Mission accomplished." The hanger bay erupted in cheers.

She felt a huge sigh of relief and she had to force her legs to hold her upright. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Her kids were ok, John was ok, the wraith were gone. She couldn't stop the tears of happiness from trailing down her cheeks.

Grinning like an idiot she knelt down on the floor and hugged both of her kids, pulling them tightly against her. She was sure that she had never been this happy before, her face felt like it would crack under the strain of her smile.

For the first time in five years everything was just right.

* * *

John could hear the cheering over his headset and a grin broke out over his face. He looked at Rodney and wasn't surprised at all to see him smiling too.

Then he heard Dr. Weir's voice over the radio. "Well done gentlemen, come on home."

"We're on our way," John responded happily.

He flew the wraith ship directly back to the city instead of to the clearing. Now that they had everything figured out they might as well keep it where it would be easily accessible, expect that wasn't his real motivation for doing it. This way he could get home faster.

* * *

Teyla stood beside the doors that lead to the landing pad and was waiting anxiously, the twins directly behind her. When John and Rodney walked through the doors there was a lot of cheering, but none of it really registered with her. All she could focus on was John.

She ran towards him and threw herself into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around once, whispering 'I love you' into her hair over and over again. Her smile got even wider, despite the fact that she thought it was impossible.

When he finally put her down she reached up and pulled his head towards hers for a searing kiss, letting him know how she was feeling by her actions alone. She heard lots of members of the Atlantis expedition making catcalls, but she ignored them. She also ignored Rodney's statement of 'Ok, I save us _again_ and they get all the attention?' and Tagan's cries of disgust.

She pulled back, breaking the kiss, and stared into John's eyes, smiling so hard that it hurt. This was what she wanted for the rest of her life.

TBC


	21. Epilogue

**A/N: For Camy. Without her, this story would have ceased to be a long time ago.**

**Epilogue **

"Are you sure about this John?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly, leaning forward in her seat to rest her hands on her desk.

John just nodded from where he was sitting, directly across from her. "Absolutely."

He watched as she gave a weary sigh and ran one hand lightly over her face. She was persistent; he'd give her that. "A year in an awfully long time," she said in a quiet voice.

"I know, but that's kind of the point." Then he smiled. "Besides, you'll do fine without me," he added confidently as he moved to stand up. Elizabeth's words made him pause.

"What if there's another wraith attack?" she asked seriously, meeting his gaze.

"You'll be fine," he said as he stood up. "Rodney's here, and then there's the fact that I doubt the wraith will come." When Elizabeth raised her eyebrows he added, "We blew up seventeen hive ships, I don't think they'll be attacking us again any time soon."

"What about the wraith from the other galaxies?" She asked, talking a little faster out of desperation.

John shrugged, his smile still in place. "I'm sure you'll be able to think of something."

Elizabeth sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I'm not going to change your mind am I?" she asked, giving in to the inevitable.

"Nope," he said happily.

"We're all going to miss you John," she said sincerely.

He gave her a sincere smile. "I might miss you guys too, but I need this Elizabeth."

She nodded and gave another sigh.

"Look," he said patiently. "A year's leave from the military is exactly what I need." She nodded again and he continued. "I need time to get to know my kids, to get to know my family. And after that…" he paused for a moment. "We'll see. But before anything else happens, I need to do this."

"All right," Elizabeth said, a small smile creeping it's way onto her face. "Since I'm obviously not going to change your mind…" She stood up and walked around to the side of her desk. She extended her hand and John shook it. "Good luck John."

"Thank you," he said sincerely. Releasing her hand, he motioned toward the doorway. "Now I've got to go finish getting ready." She nodded and he turned around and headed out.

He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder. "Goodbye Elizabeth."

"Goodbye John."

He gave her one last smile and then left her office, heading towards Teyla's quarters. He was ending one stage of his life and starting another one, he just never thought that the transition would feel so good. His smile broadened as he remembered that he had actually started the new stage of his life three weeks ago.

_John paced the small room, nervously. He kept straightening the jacket of his military dress uniform, positive that it was getting wrinkled. _

_"Well if you'd stop pacing," Rodney said irritably from where he was sitting on a bench. "Then maybe your jacket wouldn't get messed up."_

"_Shut up Rodney," he said angrily, not bothering to stop his monotonous movements._

"_What are you so nervous about anyway?" he asked incredulously._

_John sighed. "Look, I'm allowed to be nervous ok, it's one of those times." He glared at Rodney, but kept pacing._

_Just then the door to the room opened and Elizabeth stepped through, wearing dress pants and a blouse. "We're ready for you," she said smiling._

_He could only nod as his gut tied itself up in knots. This was it._

"_Do you have them?" he asked Rodney, turning to look at him expectantly._

_He just rolled his eyes at John. "No, I don't," he said sarcastically. Then standing up from his seat on the bench he said, "Of course I do. Do you really think that I'd forget the rings for a wedding?"_

John smiled as he remembered his wedding day. He'd been so nervous.

_He waited beside Elizabeth, trying not to tap his foot impatiently against the floor. The room was crowded, very crowded. Almost all of the Atlantis personnel were there, as well as most of the Athosians, who had been shuttled in from the mainland. They all had their heads turned toward the back of the room, waiting for the doors to open._

_He focused on the doors too, waiting for Teyla to step through. It seemed like he stood there for an eternity, just staring. He barely even registered Rodney standing a few feet behind him, and Elizabeth next to him. He hardly noticed the twins where they were standing beside Carson in the front row._

_Then the doors did slide open, and when he saw Teyla, time seemed to stop. He knew it sounded cliché, but it was true. She was always beautiful, but now… she was indescribably perfect._

_She was wearing a long dress that he knew she had designed and made. It hugged her torso, and then gracefully flowed out from her hips. It was a pale blue, and the material looked almost like silk. But it wasn't the dress that made her beautiful, it was the radiant smile on her face. John felt his heart surge with warmth knowing that he was the reason for that smile._

_As she got closer to him, their eyes locked together and all of his nervousness ebbed away. They had been through hell and back and now it was time for them to be happy, together_.

John walked past a group of scientists as he turned headed for the nearest transporter. Most of them smiled at him and said some quick goodbyes. He acknowledged each of them in turn before he stepped into the transporter, a bounce in his step. He quickly touched the screen at the point closest to his and Teyla's quarters. As he felt the weird sensation of traveling in the transporter, his mind drifted back to his wedding.

It had been an odd sort of combination between and Earth style wedding and an Athosian one. He'd been surprised when Elizabeth had offered to marry them, but apparently she had the credentials for it.

_"You may kiss the bride," Elizabeth said excitedly._

_John didn't waste a moment's time and he pulled Teyla into a searing kiss, one that elicited cheers from every person present bar the twins. He pulled back and looked into Teyla's eyes; he was glad to notice that his weren't the only ones brimming with tears_.

John exited the transporter with a huge smile on his face. The wedding itself had been great, the reception even better, and the wedding night… the best out of all of them.

When he walked into their quarters grinning like an idiot Teyla eyed him suspiciously. "What are you so happy about?" she asked in a curious voice.

He just walked over to her, still wearing that grin. He cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her deeply, loving that he had every reason to do so. She smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around her neck. But before John could deepen the kiss, they were interrupted by a scream.

"Daddy!" Abrianna shouted as she ran across the room, throwing herself at him full force.

He pulled away from Teyla and reached down just in time to scoop her up before she barreled into his legs. Tagan was walking towards them too, making choking noises. John watched as Teyla just shook her head at his son's antics. He smiled, wondering if she knew how much Tagan reminded him of his childhood self.

He didn't get to give it much more thought though, because Abrianna starting talking in an excited voice. "Are we leaving today?" she asked as she wrapped her small arms around his neck.

John shifted her onto his hip as he answered. "Yes, we are," he said, smiling at her.

"I don't wanna go to Earth," Tagan said grumpily, hopping up to take a seat on the nearby couch. John knew he was only saying that because it was because it was early in the morning and he would rather be sleeping.

"Why not?" Abrianna questioned her brother. "Then we can go on a ferris wheel!"

John laughed and Teyla gave him a pointed look. "And what exactly did you tell her about ferris wheels?"

John shrugged. "I just told her they were fun," he said innocently, smiling at his wife.

"Uh huh," she said as she walked over to the couch and leaned down to pick up one of their duffel bags.

"Why?" John asked. "What do you know about ferris wheels?"

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "I know that they are dangerous," she said.

John eyebrows shot up in surprise. "They are not dangerous. Who told you that anyway?"

"Dr. McKay."

He let out an aggravated sigh as Teyla stood up. "That's a bunch of…" And the next thing he knew Teyla was standing in front of him, with her hand over his mouth.

"No swearing," she said sternly, although he could tell she was struggling to hold back a laugh.

"Right," he muttered against her hand.

She smiled as she pulled it away. "What did Dr. Weir want?" she asked curiously, and it took John a moment to realize what she was talking about.

"Nothing important," he said.

"Well," she said. "I think that we're ready to go. What time does the Daedalus leave?"

John gently set Abrianna down on the ground before he answered. "In three hours." He paused for a moment and stepped closer to Teyla. Bending down he asked her quietly, "Are you sure you're ok to travel?"

She nodded and pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. "I'm fine John," she said, a smile on her face. "Dr. Beckett said that everything would be all right."

"I know," John said, getting a little worried. "But I just want to make sure…"

She placed a comforting hand on his lower arm. "He assured me that traveling in hyperspace would not affect the baby at all."

"Ok," John said reluctantly.

Teyla pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, "Everything will be fine."

He nodded against her shoulder before pulling away, unconsciously letting his hand drift across her belly. Then he gave her another sweet smile and bent down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

* * *

They made it to the entrance to the landing pad almost fifteen minutes before the ship was set to leave. John was surprised. But what surprised him more was that when they got there, there were people waiting by the doors. Rodney, Ronon, Ford, Beckett, Elizabeth and even Zelenka were there, apparently waiting for them.

As John and the rest of his family got closer, he realized that Elizabeth was holding some sort of box. It was wood carved, and from the looks of it, Athosian made. He paused in front of the group, and Teyla and the twins stopped beside him.

Elizabeth took a step forward and held out the box to him. "This is from all of us," she said. "It's not a goodbye present, because this isn't goodbye."

He nodded and gently took the box from her hands. "Thank you," he said sincerely at the same time that Teyla did.

Elizabeth nodded. "Don't open it until you get on the ship, it's a surprise." She paused for a second and smiled. "I meant what I said John, we're going to miss you, all of you." Then she stepped forward and wrapped him up in a hug, forcing him to set down the bags he was carrying. "Good luck," she whispered in his ear before releasing him.

Then the next thing he knew he was being bombarded by other well-wishers, some hugging him, and others shaking his hand. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Teyla, and even the twins, were getting the same treatment.

Eventually everyone had said their farewells and it was time for them to get on the Daedalus. John followed Teyla and the twins toward the doors that led to the ship, but he paused in front of the threshold to glance over his shoulder one last time.

He knew that he'd miss them. Atlantis had been his home for a very long time, but now he had a new home, one that was waiting for him on the ship. With one final wave he said goodbye to his old life and stepped through the door to embrace his new one.

The End

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me for this story. I hope it was worth it. :)**


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